Out of the Bag
by WrittenLizard
Summary: Following the death of her husband, Ghira, Kali Belladonna finds herself with a new roommate and pseudo-caretaker; Yang Xiao Long. Modern AU. Co-written by RealTerminal.
1. Part 1: Friendship

**Author's Note**: Why hello! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and welcome to this Holiday-themed one-shot!

Terminal and I first had the idea for a holiday-themed one-shot last year, but never got around to it. Fast forward a year, I stumbled upon the idea doc again while working on our other fic, One Last Chance, and to make a long story short, I didn't want the ideas to go to waste. We made a _lot_ of changes (it's basically a different fic altogether), and here we are! It also ended up being _way_ longer than we originally thought, so we made the decision to split it into 2 parts.

Anywho, hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Yang knew this day would come, but... she was not prepared for it to come so soon.

As the casket was slowly lowered into the grave, Yang bit her lip to stop it from quivering. Ghira Belladonna had been like a second father to her... and now he was gone, just like that. But now was not the time to cry, no matter how desperately she wished to break down, to collapse, to bawl her eyes out. She _had_ to fight back the urge, to be strong. Not for herself, nor her sister, nor her father, but the people this funeral hit hardest, two of her closest friends; Blake and Kali Belladonna. They needed her. They needed _all_ of them.

The past few months... had been difficult to say the least, for everyone. The news devastated them, but Ghira tried not to show it. Pancreatic cancer, inoperable. It put a damper on their lives, but between his constant cheer and Yang and Ruby's resolve, they were able to keep spirits high for a time. But it did not last forever. Reactions varied. Kali crumbled, just a little, but enough to be felt by everyone. Ruby became clingy, with the distant memory of her mother's passing echoing painfully. Tai made more of an effort to drop by, and Blake... Blake grew just a little more silent. She had never handled emotions well. Though it was a testament to how close the families had grown, how quickly they came together to support one another. A simple high school friendship between Yang and Blake steadily grew, birthdays, family barbeques, holidays spent together. Kali became a mother figure to the sisters, Ghira, a second father, and Blake, a sister. Her relationship with Ruby soon blossoming into a romance. And it did not stop with them. Weiss Schnee; Ruby's former tutor, and Pyrrha Nikos; Yang's long-time training partner, had both found a place within the two families as well. Weiss in particular meeting her girlfriend in the process, Ilia Amitola; the foster child of Menagerie's high priestess, Sienna Khan.

The same priestess who now presided over the funeral.

While it was a beautiful ceremony, filled with kind words and offerings, Yang only wished it did not have to happen in the first place. They all did. Everyone gave their heartfelt speeches, attempting to focus on _celebrating Ghira's life_, but no one was even able to finish. The only ones who were even able to get through more than half of theirs before breaking down in tears were Tai and Weiss. They were always better at keeping themselves composed in difficult situations. The only ones who did not end up speaking were Kali and Blake, but it was understandable. Neither of them had said a single word since arriving, only idly staring straight ahead and going through the motions. Blake was... unfocused, blank, and pale, the only external signs of her grief were silent tears and her tight grip on her girlfriend's hand. Kali's expression was mostly hidden by her veil, but the shaking said enough. Yang and Ruby did their best to comfort them, but they both knew that there was only so much either of them could do. It was not until after the main ceremony and proceeding lunch - which Kali and Blake hardly touched - that the two women muttered their first words, requesting for the sisters to take them back home. So they gathered their things, informed Sienna that they were leaving, and quietly departed.

Upon reaching Kali's hatchback, the older woman wordlessly chose the passenger seat, leaving Ruby and Blake to take the rear seating. Yang steadied herself with a deep breath, before taking the wheel. It was a short, silent drive to the Belladonna house, with no music, nor idle chatting. Kali merely gazed out the window, watching the world pass by, while Blake just clung to Ruby, like she was afraid to lose her too.

Even as the group arrived at the house, they remained silent, not a single word uttered as they exited the car and headed inside. Blake murmured that she was going to take a nap, her voice barely above a whisper, so Ruby escorted her upstairs, leaving Yang and Kali alone in the front foyer. The blonde looked to the older woman, wondering if she wanted to do anything herself, but found that she was merely staring at some of the family photos hung up on the nearby wall, eyes beginning to water, her lip starting to quiver. It tore Yang's heart asunder to watch.

"Kali?" Yang murmured, disturbing the elder from her reverie, who's teary gaze turned unto her.

"Thank you, Yang." Kali uttered, barely more than a whisper, a sad smile echoed on her lips. "Will you help me up the stairs?"

Yang quickly nodded, stepping close to wrap an arm around her friend's waist, almost surprised as Kali put her own arm around her shoulders in response. As the two began ascending the stairs, Yang could not help but focus on how slow and unsteady the older woman had been up until now. A huge departure from her usual spry confidence. Kali was an incredibly strong figure to Yang, but the toll that Ghira's death had taken was... _shocking_. It was as if she was a completely different person altogether. Even as they arrived at her bedroom, Kali simply lifted her arm from Yang's shoulder, quietly thanking her for the assistance, and headed inside, softly closing the door behind her.

"I'll uh, I'll be out here if you need anything..." Yang offered after a moment alone, leaning against the nearby wall to face away from the door. She hoped to receive some kind of response, but the only sounds that emanated from within the room were those of drawers quietly opening and closing, and the shuffling of clothes. Without that, all Yang could really do was... _wait_. Though perhaps she should take a few steps away from the door, as the act of merely standing there _listening_ to her friend change was a tad creepy in her mind. But before she could even stand up from leaning against the wall, a yelp, followed by a loud thump was heard from inside the bedroom. Practically whipping around, Yang approached the door and provided a few swift knocks upon it.

"Kali?"

No answer.

"_Kali_, are you alright?"

Still no answer.

Quickly putting her ear to the door, Yang found that there was sniffling coming from the other side, which caused her eyes to widen. Her first instinct was to throw the door open to find out if Kali was alright, but her hand froze just before grabbing the knob. Part of her was unsure whether or not she should just barge into a possibly-undressed woman's room, but in the end, she decided it was worth the risk. Grabbing the door handle and gently pushing, Yang walked into the dimly lit bedroom... and immediately froze upon seeing what lied within, the mere sight sending a pang through her heart. Laying upon the floor in nothing but her underwear, curled up in a ball and quietly sobbing, was Kali, looking like she had tripped while stepping out of her dress, as it was bunched up around her ankles. But instead of getting back up, she just... remained there.

After a moment, Yang was able to snap out of her shock, wasting no time rushing to Kali's side and kneeling down behind her. Quickly scanning her body, it thankfully did not seem like the older woman was seriously injured, which was a huge relief, so she hesitantly reached out to gently place a hand on her shoulder. Kali only shrunk in response, causing the blonde to recoil her hand. "Kali... are you... hurt?" Yang carefully asked, cringing at the helpless tone in her voice. Of course she was hurt, if not physically than mentally. "Kali, can I please help you?"

Kali did not respond, merely shuddering, causing Yang let out a small sigh. It was hard to handle heavy emotions, let alone emotional individuals, but Kali above many, deserved her utmost care.

Slowly, Yang lowered herself to the ground, laying on her side. "I know there's nothing I can ever say to really help, I was pretty young when I lost Summer, and you know how much it affected me." She slowly reached over, gently laying her hand on Kali's shoulder again. She did not flinch as badly this time. "But you helped me, you helped grow past it, when no one else even knew I could, and I'll carry that with me for the rest of my life." Yang gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Kali had stopped shaking. "I love you Kali, we all do, and I wanna help you too, but only if you'll let me, only when you're comfortable letting me in."

Kali coughed, uttering what could almost pass for a laugh. "_It sounds so inspiring, when you put it like that_."

"Well, they are your words, silly." Yang snickered. "'Course it's inspiring."

The elder woman turned onto her back, bleary eyes meeting Yang's, downcast, yet still beautiful. Kali had aged gracefully. If Blake looked anything like her mother in the future, her sister was a very lucky woman. "I welcome your help, Yang, without question."

Reaching to take Kali's hand instead, Yang smiled as brightly as she could muster. "Then let's get to it."

A little while later, as the now pyjama clad Faunus slept soundly, wrapped in the blonde's arms, she made up her mind.

She was there to stay.

* * *

Following a morning of tiring yard work, it was a wonderful feeling to take a nice, hot shower.

Stepping out of the steamy glass box, Yang grabbed her towel and began drying herself off. While she would have liked to stay in there for a little while longer... Okay maybe a _lot_ longer, she knew it would be wasting water. Plus - even from inside the closed bathroom - there had been an absolutely _delicious_ scent filling her nose while she was showering, so she was quite excited to see just what was being cooked downstairs. After she was finished drying her body, Yang folded the towel around her torso, and grabbed her hair towel. As she began wrapping said towel around her hair in that signature _beehive_ thing, she sighed, wishing that the simple act of drying her hair was a much less... _time-consuming_ process. _Maybe I should actually think about getting it cut_. Once the towel was snugly fitting around her head, she was _finally_ ready to learn what exactly she had been smelling for the past fifteen minutes. _I hope it's lunch, 'cause I'm starving._

Grabbing her brush - _might as well multitask_ \- Yang headed across the small hallway into what she was still getting used to as _her_ bedroom, where she found a little surprise waiting for her on the bed, her bed. It caused her to smile. _Likely in the middle of cooking something amazing, and she's still got time for this_. Sitting upon her comforter was a folded set of comfy clothes - consisting of a pair of pink sweatpants and an _RvB_ branded while long shirt - as well as matching underwear and socks. The latter might have been a tad embarrassing - as it meant that Kali had not only gone through her underwear drawer, but also touched and handled said undergarments - but it was also quite sweet. After all, who else would actually take the time to pick _and_ lay out clothes for her? _While_ in the middle of cooking food? Kali Belladonna, that was who. _That woman was too nice for her own good._

Quickly changing into the clothes that the older woman had laid out for her, Yang made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where she found Kali preparing... _something_. She could not actually tell what was being made, as practically everything around the counters and stove had been covered. Was it supposed to be a surprise? Or maybe just because of the type of food being cooked? She had no idea. Upon noticing her standing there, the lounge-wear and apron-clad older woman offered a smile that was as bright as the sun. Yang could not help but stare, a stupid grin beginning to spread across her face. _I will never get used to this view._

Lightly padding over to the blonde, Kali wrapped the blonde in a loving hug, which of course she reciprocated. "Thank you for the assistance with the yard, Yang. I'm still getting used to... well, this whole house, so it's nice to have someone around to help." Kali smiled as she released the younger woman. She then took gentle hold of the sides of her head before turning it down slightly. Standing up on tips of her toes, she planted a kiss upon her forehead. It caused a slight blush to tint Yang's cheeks. _Never gonna get used to that either._

"Don't worry about it." Yang assured with a smile of her own. "Doin' the yard work was pretty much my job at home anyway." Then she looked over at all the covered food on the counters and stove. "So uh, what have you been cookin' down here?"

Taking a quick glance behind her, Kali grinned slightly, gesturing to the kitchen table as she turned back. "Why don't you take a seat at the table, and I'll show you."

Yang quirked a brow at the answer. "Ooh, I like a good surprise." Making her way around the compact kitchen, she sat down at the table, where she proceeded to place her hairbrush onto the wood surface and excitedly wait for what her friend had made for her. While she did, her gaze began to idly shift around the attached living area. _Can't believe we've been here for a week already_...

After the day of Ghira's funeral, it did not take long for Kali to want to get out of that large house, so Yang did her best to help her look for a new one. Surprisingly, it was a fairly quick process, as a few weeks later, they were already moving into a smaller bungalow. It was a strange feeling, honestly. Just over a month ago, she viewed Kali as a mother figure, just like she had Summer. Now, after her husband's passing, the blonde became a sort of pseudo caretaker, due to how deep her grief ran. So Yang moved to Kuo Kuana, all so the older woman would not have to leave her homeland to be closer to her daughter.

The sudden sound of porcelain hitting wood pulled Yang from her thoughts. Looking down, she found that Kali had placed a rather large plate in front of her, and she immediately grinned, understanding why the previously-unknown food had smelled so good. Sitting upon the table before her, was one of her favourite lunches - a BLT burger with what appeared to be _homemade_ fries, topped with various spices - paired with a glass of orange juice. Just looking at it made her mouth begin to water.

"Bon Appétit!" Kali hummed.

Yang merely stared at the meal in front of her for a moment. "This looks amazing... Did you make these fries from _scratch?"_

Kali nodded with a smile. "With my mother's recipe, but with an added _kick_, just for you."

"That's... really nice, Kali, thanks... but you didn't have to actually _make_ these for me." Yang attempted to assure, dumbfounded that her friend had done something like that for her. "Store-bought would've been fine."

"Yang, you just did two hours of yard work that would have likely taken me all day to do on my own." Kali countered. "Stop being being humble and let me thank you for it."

A moment passed in silence, with the two just staring at one another with smiles on their faces. "Aw, _fine_. You're welcome." Yang conceded, picking up a small french fry and popping it into her mouth. "Holy _shit_, these are delicious!"

Kali's smile quickly shifted to a sterner expression as she crossed her arms at the younger woman's outburst. "I appreciate the compliment, but what did I say about foul language in this house?"

Bringing a hand up to rub the back of her head, Yang let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah... sorry about that. Force of habit."

"A habit that I'm certain you will be able to shake." Kali added. "This may be a new house, but the rules of the prior one still apply."

Yang quickly nodded in response. "Of course." She agreed. While it was true that she was essentially a caretaker, Kali was still _perfectly_ capable of reprimanding her when appropriate. Hell, that woman could be downright _scary_ when she wanted to be. There was even one time when Blake described almost pissing herself after she was caught looking at some... _questionable internet content_ as she put it. And Blake was _already_ a fairly strong-willed individual, so scaring _her_ was impressive on its own. Out of all her years of knowing each other, the blonde had never _once_ been able to scare her - unless she counted the time when she suggested to Ruby to fake being pregnant for one April Fools day, which of course proceeded to scare the absolute _shit_ out of her, though that was mostly due to the perceived reaction from her mother.

Turning back toward the plate of food, Yang began to eat her meal, and gods _damn_ was it good. She might be a good cook herself, but _Kali_? That woman was a _master_ chef, and if she _ever_ wanted to open up a restaurant, the blonde would be one-hundred-percent on board, as long as she could choose the name of course. She would call it... _Mama Belladonna's_. Perfect.

With the partially-eaten burger in one hand, Yang began to unravel the towel that was still wrapped around her drying hair. Honestly, she would love to be able to use a hairdryer, but doing so always ended with her hair becoming all frizzy. What a pain in the ass. Once it was off and draped across her shoulders, she grabbed her hairbrush from the table with her free hand and began brushing the damp blonde locks. It was a bit of a hassle, attempting to brush and eat at the same time, but it was still working, albeit slow. Though not for long, as she soon found the brush taken from her hand.

"Would you like some assistance?" Came Kali's voice from behind her.

Turning around in her chair, Yang found the older woman dangling the hairbrush with a slight smirk on her face. "You're offering to... brush my hair for me?"

Kali just smiled. "Well, it has been quite some time since I last brushed my daughter's hair... Plus, I imagine that it would be easier for you to eat with _both_ hands."

Yang blinked at the offer. "I... sure, I mean if you're offering." She agreed, to which Kali quickly took her position behind the chair before beginning to run the brush through the blonde locks. _Man this feels weird... but also pretty nice... like gentle head scratches_... Though at the same time, it reminded her of how much of a pain it was to manage her hair. Which actually brought her mind back to a thought she had earlier in the day. _Maybe it's about time to really get it cut... But I guess that'd mean having to find a new stylist_...

"Hey uh, you know any good places for getting haircuts?" Yang wondered after a brief silence.

As she continued working on Yang's hair, Kali let out a hum. "Are we talking grooming or tending?"

"I dunno... I don't like cutting it, since I don't really trust most people with it, but I gotta get it trimmed every now and again to prevent it from becoming insufferable." Yang admitted before taking one of the final bites of her burger. "And I've been thinking... maybe I should get a little bit more done this time..."

Kali ceased her brushing for a moment, seemingly to think. "Hmm, the local barber is Fiona. She's nice enough, but quite the chatterbox, and Sienna does ritual shavings for devotees."

_Ritual shavings? Not sure I wanna know what that means_... "Well, as nice as Sienna is, I don't think I'll ever want my hair _that_ short, so I think I'll go check out this Fiona lady." Yang answered.

"I can also cut hair." Kali offered. "Between Blake and... _Ghira_... I've become quite accomplished."

Yang blinked, realizing what that meant. "Is _that_ why Blake's hair was always so nice? Damn I should've come to you _years_ ago."

Kali let out a soft chuckle at Yang's enthusiasm. It was adorable. "Sadly, she never expressed much in the way of appreciation, I swear if I didn't remind her she'd forget it existed."

"Maybe you should call her then..." Yang suggested with a shrug. "Just hope you don't _interrupt_ anything... I've had some bad timing before."

After a moment, Kali nodded, though it was unseen by the blonde. "I think I will, thank you, Yang. I'll give her a call a little later."

Yang immediately grinned. "That's the spirit. Oh! make sure to say hi for me!"

"You could always do that yourself, as you do live here." Kali reminded.

Yang paused for a second, noticing that she could indeed simply ask to speak with Blake while Kali was on a call with her - or just call the girl herself. They were still best friends after all, though the whole _living on separate continents_ thing had not exactly helped. "Oh yeah."

Kali chuckled again. "Take care not to neglect your friends in favor of me, there's more to life than keeping an old woman company."

"_Hey_, you're not old at all, Kali." Yang promised, glancing back to flash a smile at the other woman. "Ruby can only _hope_ that Blake looks like you when she's your age."

Kali just rolled her eyes, even though a smiled graced her features. "Flatterer."

Yang just grinned. "It's what I do best."

"Indeed, less flattering more eating, before it goes cold." Kali requested, pointing down at the mostly-finished burger and fries on the table.

Yang chuckled in response. "Yes _mom_." She agreed, getting back to eating her meal, which caused Kali to smirk down at the younger woman.

"Now there's a good girl."

* * *

_Ngh, where am I?_

_Well, this doesn't feel like my pillow... must've fallen asleep on the couch again..._

_Eh, whatever... it's comfy, so I don't care._

Turning onto her side, Yang reached up to adjust the pillow under her head, wanting to savor the solace it offered, but her fingers sunk into something that was _definitely_ not what she expected. Pillows did not have the same texture as jeans, nor were they this firm - They were fluffy, not squishy. _Wait a second_. Yang gave the foreign object another couple squeezes, which unfortunately caused her to realize what exactly she was currently touching, as well as what her head was lying upon. _Oh boy... I really hope it's not that..._

Slowly retracting her hand from the soft surface, Yang turned her head to face upward and hesitantly opened her eyes, hoping that she did not find anything aside from a ceiling. Sadly her hopes were all for naught, as when her eyes were open, she was met with the smiling face a certain feline Faunus, staring down at her.

"Good morning." Kali greeted, a clear blush tinting her cheeks, likely from the unintentional rear-groping. "Happy birthday, Yang." She wished, brushing the blonde bangs aside before leaning down to plant a slow and gentle kiss upon her forehead.

Even thought Yang was unable to keep a blush from tinting her own cheeks, that did not stop her lips from curling into a grin. For one, she loved being able to live with this woman. Second, she was right. It _was_ her birthday. Yang was officially _twenty-four_ years old now! Though before she could even open her mouth to thank her friend, she continued.

"Now, why don't you go take a nice, hot shower while I prepare your _extra_ special breakfast?" Kali suggested as she ran her finger through the younger woman's shoulder-length hair - Hair she had began styling several months prior. What had once been a wild mane of blonde curls was now a wavy nest that framed her shoulders nicely. So smooth to the touch, and as Kali discovered, prime for head scratches. Her sharp nails trailed softly across Yang's scalp, turning the blonde limp and helpless to her ministrations.

As hard as Yang tried to respond, all that ended up coming out was "Nnnnnghmph..." Eventually she was able to pull herself up from Kali's thighs - even though she would have much rather lied there all day - and raise her arms to stretch. "You sure? 'Cause I don't mind helping. You don't _always_ have to make all the food around here, Kal."

Kali just softly chuckled in response. "Nonsense, today is _your_ day. The only thing I want you to do is relax, I'll take care of _everything_."

As she finished stretching, Yang smiled. "You are such a mom." she teased, getting up off the couch and making her way towards the stairs. Though as she ascended said stairs, a blush tinted her cheeks - hopefully not seen by the older woman. While Yang knew for a fact that her friend did not at _all_ mean what she said in _that_ way, she herself could not resist thinking about it as such. One part of her wanted Kali to realize just how sexual her answer sounded, but the other... partially wanted to hear her talk like that again, as... _it was kind of hot_.

Heading into the upstairs bathroom - which was technically hers, since no one else really used it - Yang stripped off her clothes from the prior night and hopped in the shower with a sigh of relief. She hated it when she fell asleep with a bra on, since it always meant her breasts were sore in the morning. Though at the same time, taking it off after nearly twenty-four hours was one of the best feelings in the world - Plus, the soreness was nothing that a little massage could not help. At first Yang went through cleaning herself fairly quickly, quite excited at what Kali was planning to make her for breakfast, but after rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, she found herself staring at her right hand as she reached for the soap - the very same hand that had squeezed her friend's rear _several_ times barely ten minutes ago... As well as the same hand that she... _pleasured herself_ with. She attempted to resume cleaning herself, but a single sentence kept running through her mind.

_I'll take care of everything._

It almost made Yang shudder. The older woman's tone, combined with her golden eyes and her beautiful smile, was just... _Ah damnit, not even ten in the morning... Well, it is my birthday... eh, fuck it_. She had lived with Kali for a number of months now, and throughout that time, she had been fairly good at _keeping herself quiet_ during her private time - at least as far as she knew - so quickly taking care of business under the cover of the shower, while the older woman was cooking, would be no problem... So long as Kali did not walk past the bathroom. She had _very_ good hearing after all.

Though of course, Yang just could not help herself.

A squeak here, a gasp there, hitting the right spot for a moment only to suddenly find herself chasing it once again, all in the name of simple euphoria. It was one of her simplest joys in life, and the only indulgence she experienced anymore, considering she had not had any kind of partner in _years_. Every orgasm was a _gift from Spring_, or so Pyrrha preached - someone who she should definitely call more often - and this one certainly fit that description. Even with the running water _and_ the bathroom fan, Yang was lucky that she had decided to move a hand from her breast to cover her mouth, or else she would have... _alerted_ the house's other occupant to her _activities_, so to speak. _Damn, magic fingers strike again_. With weakened legs and a hazy mind, she eventually shut off the water, and stepped out of the shower. After drying herself off and donning the clothes that Kali had once again graciously left out for her - a nice set of black sweatpants and one of her favourite orange T-shirts - and headed downstairs.

And thus, her special day was off to an exciting start.

As Yang would soon find out, making her breakfast was not the only thing that Kali had in store. No, not by a _long_ shot. It turned out that the older woman had a whole _day_ planned, where she would proceed to spend every moment spoiling the absolute hell out of Yang. Kali made her feel like she was the only person on the entire planet that mattered - and she could not have been happier. This day would turn out to be best birthday ever.

Similar to most other days, it began with breakfast - Well, after a long, blush-inducing hug and a forehead kiss. While Yang was in the shower... _taking care of business_, Kali had made one of her all-time favourite meals: pancakes with hot fudge and powdered sugar. Of course she did not get to partake very often, lest she gain any weight in the wrong places, but when she did, there was _never_ enough to satisfy her - which was always due to her downright _monstrous_ appetite - at least until now. When Yang came down the stairs, the sheer number of pancakes that were stacked upon the table alone made her mouth actually drop open - and that was not even counting the ones that Kali was _still_ in the process of making! To say that the two would have leftovers for days was likely a huge understatement, even _with_ how much she ended up eating.

Just like everything else that Kali cooked, the pancakes were absolutely _divine_, but on this particular day, there was an added... _bonus_, so to speak. While Yang practically inhaled her food, her friend decided to give her what was likely the most relaxing neck massage she had ever gotten. It almost made her repeat the noise she made while Kali scratched her head earlier that morning. _And here I thought I had magic fingers_... Though unfortunately... or maybe fortunately, the massage caused the consumption of pancakes _much_ slower, but certainly more enjoyable. Yang could honestly not believe it was happening, _while_ it was happening.

Once breakfast was finished - and Kali had cleaned up alone, insisting that Yang simply relax - the pair began their day of relaxation. While washing the dishes, the older woman asked what the blonde wanted to do, but since the two had spent the previous day entirely out and about, she decided that she wanted to have a leisurely day inside. So that was what they did. The next few hours were spent watching a movie - of course, one of Yang's favourites; _Geistbusters_ \- then just... chatting in the living area until it was time for lunch. Once again, the younger woman attempted to help, but Kali was not having it, speaking the same words that resulted in Yang using her _magic fingers_ in the shower earlier that morning, but this time with a much less accidentally-arousing tone. Though perhaps that was a good thing, as she did not really want to be horny twice in one day. So she just sat around and waited, watching her friend prepare the meal - and _boy_ did it smell good.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity - mostly due to the fact that she merely stared at Kali the whole time while she cooked - it was finally time to eat. The older woman then sat her down at the table, and revealed her next meal: a certainly-larger-than-average bacon grilled cheese - once again, one of her favourites - paired with a glass of homemade lemonade. It looked - and as she soon found out, tasted - _delicious_. Kali actually let out a chuckle once Yang was finished eating, telling her how she was surprised that she did not choke at all, considering how quickly she had devoured the meal. Yang then assured her that it was not the first time she had shoved something that big into her mouth, which soon resulted in the pair bursting into laughter once they realized what the blonde said.

_Man, I love living here._

Once lunch was completely finished and the dishes had been cleaned - the one thing that she was actually allowed to help with, but only after she begged - it was back to relaxing. They watched another one of her favourite movies; _The Huntsman Rises_, even though Kali did not particularly care for it, much like _Geistbusters_. It was honestly really sweet, the way she payed attention, listened to the younger woman gush about various parts of the film, and just... enjoyed it as best she could. The only other thing Yang could have possibly asked for was to be able to cuddle with her, but sadly there was no good excuse for it. Perhaps if they watched a scary movie later...

Though before she knew it, it was already dinner time. _Oh, how time flies_. For the third time that day, Kali had prepared for her one of her absolute favourite meals: fish and chips, with _homemade_ hot sauce - And what a meal it was. Yang was _so_ thankful that her friend made enough for seconds... and thirds... and maybe fourths... _They were really good_...

After Yang had finally finished all of her food, she sat back with a satisfied sigh. It had been a while since she ate _that_ much and loved every single bite of it. But unfortunately, due to being so full, when Kali mentioned the possibility of cake, she had to decline for a while, no matter how much she wanted it. So the pair decided to sit together in the living area and just chat for a while. Though that _chatting_ ended up mostly boiling down to Yang prodding the older woman into telling her what kind of cake it was - which she never did of course. Instead she merely told her that _you will have to wait and see_, with the sliest smirk on her face.

That woman was such a tease sometimes.

Thankfully it did not take _too_ long for Yang to be ready to eat again, so Kali sat her down at the table one final time for the day, but instead of simply bringing her the cake, she turned off the lights - which only made the blonde more excited. A brief silence followed, with barely a sound to be heard. She considered turning around to find out what exactly was happening in the kitchen, but also knew that her friend would not want her spoiling the surprise. Luckily she did not have to wait long, with Kali's angelic voice soon filling the room as she began to sing happy birthday. Words could not express the idiotic grin that spread across Yang's face as she watched the older woman carry over a strawberry-covered cheesecake and place it in front of her. Once it was settled on the table, she continued her singing, but instead looked her straight in the eyes.

"Happy _birthday_ dear Yang..." Kali sung, raising a hand to lightly cup Yang's cheek - which immediately caused her to blush - her voice lowering as she slowly closed the distance between their faces. "Happy birthday... to... _you_..." She finished - barely above a whisper - before planting a slow, gentle kiss on the blonde's cheek, her lips lingering upon the flesh for just a moment.

As her friend stood back up with a smile, Yang could only stare up at her, her mind unable to come up with a response. If there was ever a moment where she wanted to kiss that woman, it was right now.

"Happy birthday, Yang." Kali wished.

Another grin quickly spread across Yang's face in response. "Thanks, Kal."

A little while later, after a fair share of the delicious cheesecake had been consumed, Yang thought the day was over, that her friend had gone through all of the surprises that she had planned. Well, it turned out that there was one more - as if she had not done enough for her already - and it required something rather... _unexpected:_ a blindfold. _Don't think about it sexually, don't think about it sexually, don't think about it sexually, don't think about... Damnit! Stupid gutter mind._

Once Yang's eyes had been completely covered - which embarrassingly excited the hell out of her - Kali gently grasped her hand, intertwining their fingers, and carefully led her through the house and down the stairs toward the basement. Which was an area of the house that she had admittedly not gone to in... well, a few days in fact, so that would actually be an excellent place to hide some kind of surprise. The floor itself was pretty much only used as a storage area anyway, with the only things down there being random furniture, some decorations that did not work or fit with this new house, and of course... a number of boxes filled with Ghira's wardrobe. But even still, now Yang was _really_ excited, her mind beginning to fill with possibilities. Well, if Kali had to store it in the basement in the first place, it had to be something large... Perhaps it was a TV for her room, or a fancy bicycle, since she had to leave her motorcycle, _Bumblebee_, back on Patch, or a pretty dress - she actually liked dresses, and... Kali liked seeing her wear them - or maybe even a shark tank! No, that was stupid...

Thankfully Yang would not have to wait for very long, as after the pair arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Kali brought them to a stop. _Here we go_. Feeling a pair of hands on the back of her head, the blindfold slowly came loose, and was finally pulled away, revealing... a pitch-black room. Not exactly _exciting_. Furrowing her brow, she turned to the older woman, who merely smiled before reaching over to the wall and flicking the lights on, which exposed what was really before them - and Yang could not believe her eyes. Ever since moving to Kuo Kuana, she had been going to the local gym for her workouts, but now... there was a full home gym right in front of her. There was a treadmill, weights, dumbbells, a bike, a balance ball, even a yoga mat... _Holy moly, this has everything_...

Giving the blonde's hand a gentle squeeze, Kali prompted her to meet her gaze as she offered a smile. "While I know you always say that you don't need any kind of repayment for what you do, I wanted to show how much I love and appreciate you, and I cannot express how thankful I am to have you in my life."

Yang could only look back into the older woman's golden eyes for a moment as she attempted to formulate a response. "You... You really had this all installed just for me?"

"Well, most of it." Kali shrugged, a smug smile on her face. "I have been meaning to get a treadmill..."

_She... actually bought it for me_... "Even then... Kal, you bought me a _gym_..." Yang stressed. "How could I ever pay you back for this?"

"Take more time for yourself." Kali answered, giving her friend's hand another squeeze. "You spend far too much on me. You have your own life to lead after all."

Yang managed a chuckle. "You're always sayin' that. Just 'cause I spend a lot of time with you, doesn't mean I don't have a life of my own." To which Kali raised a brow. "It's true! Like uh... oh! The other day, Fiona and I went out for brunch, and it was fun!"

Kali just smiled. "Oh yes, she told me all about it."

"_See_? I have friends here too!" Yang attempted to assure. Kali giggled at her enthusiasm. "_Spends too much time with you_, psh, I don't spend _enough_ time with you!"

Raising her free hand and gently cupping the younger woman's cheek, she gave it a couple light taps. "Yang, sweetie, I love you, but Fiona is the only friend you've made here since Ilia."

"What do you mean? I've got more!" Yang defended, causing Kali to immediately raise a brow again. "I uh... I've got Trifa!"

Kali smirked at her friend's attempts. "Are you perhaps referring to the woman we purchase our clothes from?"

A slight blush crept its way onto Yang's face as she struggled to meet Kali's gaze "_Yes_..."

"Well then, what is her last name?" Kali inquired, her lips curled into a smirk.

Yang paused for a moment. _And I don't know that_. "Um... _can I get back to you?"_

Kali then rolled her eyes, her smug smirk shifting into a gentler smile. "Go play with your present, Yang."

Without even thinking, Yang shot a smirk of her own at the older woman. "Only if you come play with me." _Oh my gods I can't believe I just said that._

For the third time in five minutes, Kali raised a brow. "Do I have to get the spray bottle?"

Yang proceed to faux-pout, though unlike her sister, she was not able to keep up the act very well. _"But Yang doesn't like the spray bottle."_

A moment of silence passed, before both women burst into laughter.

_Best birthday ever._

* * *

Menagerie's climate had grown on Yang quite fast. The sun shone bright and hot, even in the coldest months, but the nights grew cold and frigid all the greater. Though it made assembling a comfortable wardrobe an interesting challenge. A mix of warm and cool garments, that could be mixed and matched freely, depending on the day.

Today she was wearing her nicest jean shorts, a loose orange tank top, and a purple short sleeved cardigan. Kali had trimmed her hair level again, and helped apply a tasteful amount of lilac eye-shadow, complimenting the pink lip gloss she reserved for her dates before moving to Menagerie. Because she had gone on a date, for the first time in years, with the local hairdresser, Fiona Thyme. The cute, kind Ovine Faunus, who had smiled prettily when Yang asked her out, complimented her hair, and outfit, and eyes, and blushed when paid compliments in kind. Unfortunately she had felt no spark a few short hours into their date, and sadly parted ways with a short, but warm hug.

Fiona was an interesting individual. An activist, with dreams and aspirations that Yang respected, and often found herself discussing in depth during their odd times out. But there was no romance there, and to force it would be cruel to herself and the lovely girl who had given her the time of day.

Now she found herself wandering the main street of Menagerie, ducking into stores at random to browse. It was a pleasant day for a stroll, and she had told Kali she would not be home for another two hours. She did not want to worry her, and the older woman deserved some time to herself. She had come so far from the soft spoken woman that Yang had dedicated herself to caring for. Some days she wondered if her friend ever really needed her help. If she was ever of real use. Kali would never have admitted it, were it the truth.

"Yang?" A voice snapped the blonde from her thoughts. Looking to its source, she found none other than Sienna Khan, taller than her by a head, in a loose, casual black dress. She looked regal, even now with hardly more than her regular jewelry, and tattooed skin to decorate her.

"High Priestess, good afternoon." Yang bowed in greeting, only for the other woman to chuckle.

"No need to be so formal Yang, I am more than my title." Sienna assured. "Or have you taken so little notice of me over the years?"

Yang blanched, almost stuttering an apology before noting the toothy grin taking over the Faunus' face. "You're evil." She groused, turning back to whatever she had settled in front of. A glass storefront... to a lingerie store.

"Many humans have claimed as much, shortly before their untimely demise." Sienna purred. Yang refused to rise to her bait. Again. "I'd recommend commissioning Trifa for lingerie, you'll hardly pay more, and her craft is much finer. She makes her own silk you see."

"I know, I wasn't really looking, just..." Yang sighed, shrugging.

Sienna tilted her head in question. "Something on your mind?"

Yang opened her mouth to answer, but just ended up sighing again. "You could say that."

"Well, should you feel the need to confess, it would be fitting." Sienna offered.

Yang managed a slight chuckle. "Yeah, it would... I just uh... dunno how I really... _feel_ right now."

Placing a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, Sienna offered a smile. "Emotional turmoil is natural Yang. Indecision, conflict, insecurity, they are signs of important change."

"So you've mentioned before. What uh... what would you recommend for dealing with it?" Yang wondered.

"Honesty, is always a virtue, even if it may cause harm." Sienna answered. "Secrets fester within our souls. Be honest with yourself, and others, and you will find your conflict easier to bear."

"As nice as that'd be, it's a lot harder than you'd think." Yang sighed, her gaze falling to the ground.

"Honesty is never hard Yang, it's the fear of what comes that hinders us." Sienna informed, stepping in front of the blonde to ensure that she looked at her.

"Yeah... that sounds about right." Yang mumbled, still staring at what was now the older woman's sandal-clad feet. "Worst part is I literally can't get away from it."

"Then perhaps embrace it." Sienna suggested.

_Embrace my feelings_? "Wouldn't that be nice..." Yang murmured.

Gently taking hold of the blonde's chin, Sienna raised her head until their eyes met, brilliant orange staring into soft lilac. "But?"

"But... I can't." Yang sadly answered, almost trying to look away. "I couldn't... I couldn't do that to her..." She did not exactly _want_ to let slip who she was talking about, but at the same time, it would be nice to have _someone_ to talk to about this.

"Would it truly be so bad?" Sienna inquired.

Yang just sighed again. "She's been through so much, Sienna... Doesn't need my baggage along with it..."

Keeping steady, but gentle hold of Yang's chin, Sienna smiled. "An important part of a relationship is sharing your burdens, equality in all places."

Yang had not even said Kali's name yet, but Sienna already knew who she was talking about. Not surprising, they had been friends for practically as long as she had been alive. "I know, but... I don't wanna take advantage of her..."

"You could never take advantage of Kali, Yang." Sienna assured. "She does as she pleases, and will put you in your place if you step a toe out of line."

Yang managed a slight smile, knowing just how true those words were. Especially after living with her for over half a year. "Ain't _that_ the truth..."

"Take your time Yang." Sienna instructed, releasing the blonde's chin to place the hand on her shoulder. "Don't force yourself, but don't give in to fear. Kali will take care of you, as you took care of her, no matter what it entails."

"But... what about Ghira?" Yang asked, hesitant on speaking his name. It had been a long time since he died, but the wound almost felt fresh upon bringing him up. "I don't wanna... _take his place_ or anything like that... Makes me feel like a homewrecker..."

Leading the younger woman over to a nearby bench, Sienna sat them both down, lest they continue to practically stand in the middle of the road. "Yang, home is where the heart is. Kali gave her heart to Ghira for twenty seven years, and now he has passed on. Her heart will always love him, but it is not bound to him. She will move on, when she feels ready."

_When she's ready..._ "So then.. what do _I_ do?"

Sienna shrugged slightly - A bit of an odd gesture for a priestess. "I cannot tell you Yang, the decision should be yours alone, but I can advise. Trust in Kali, she is older, and wiser than you, and she cares for you deeply."

Yang could not help but smile at the statement, a blush quickly tinting her cheeks. "I care about her too..." But then her smile faded. "But I dunno how much longer I can take this... Sienna, I think about her _every day_, about how things would be if I could hold her in my arms, if I could kiss her goodnight... practically since the day I met her..."

"Young love is rarely any less passionate." Sienna informed. "Why I still remember when Kali and I were in such a state."

Yang merely blinked upon realizing what the older woman had said. "You and Kali... _dated?"_

Sienna nodded. "We did, for two years in high school."

Yang really did just hear that. "Wow, I uh... can't say I expected that. Why'd you break up? I-If you don't mind of course!"

"Nonsense, it's quite alright." Sienna assured with a smile. "I dedicated myself to the Faith, a long and arduous commitment that would leave me little time for recreation, let alone a relationship. It would not have been fair on dear Kali, so I ended it."

Yang then let out a sad chuckle. "Sucks that we can't have everything we want, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that." Sienna disagreed. "After all, Kali began dating Ghira then next year. They brought each other happiness, and love, and a beautiful daughter, whom I delivered with my own two hands. These things may very well not have happened had I maintained our relationship." She then sighed slightly. "Kali would never have been so happy with me, and for that I am thankful I did not persist."

Yang tried to take that as a positive, but soon found her gaze falling once again. "If you think she wouldn't have been as happy with _you_ of all people... how could she ever be happy with _me_?"

Sienna offered a smile. "Because you are everything Kali loves in this world, and you have given her your all."

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a loss for words. "But... You really think so?"

Sienna nodded. "I believe so Yang."

"But what if I'm not good enough?" Yang questioned, looking down at her hands. "Or she doesn't even _like_ me like that? Or she thinks I'm _too young_ for her? I just... I've never felt this way about anyone before, and I'm just scared I'm gonna screw it up..."

Sienna let out a laugh, reaching up to cup Yang's cheeks, turning her head so she would meet her gaze. "Look at you, all flustered and worried, just like Ghira when he came to me. I'll tell you the same thing I told him; You can't be a larger screw-up than I was, you're going to make a fine partner for her."

Yang smiled in response, but it quickly faded. "If she even feels the same way... I can't even compare to either of you..."

"True, you are young and inexperienced, but comparing yourself now to us decades later will do you no favors." Sienna comforted, gently caressing the blonde's cheek. "There was once a time when Kali would trip over her own feet, Ghira could barely grow a mustache, and I was a wallflower." Then she smiled. "People grow, they learn, and they change. In twenty years time I will remind you of this moment, and you will see the truth of my words."

As down as she was feeling, Yang could not help but chuckle. "Hard to imagine _any_ of that, especially Ghira. Dude had the biggest beard for as long as I can remember."

Sienna let out a chuckle of her own. "Yes, it truly was a glorious entity to behold. He babied it so much, Kali and I named it _Jimothy_, which bothered him to no end."

Yang's chuckle quickly evolved into a laugh. "You two named his _beard_?" To which Sienna nodded. "That's like naming your _bush_..." The older woman immediately quirked a brow in response. "Uh, I mean... _forget I said that."_

A moment passed by in silence before Sienna smirked, _quite_ slyly. "Perhaps one day you will have the honor of meeting Kayla."

Yang furrowed her brow. "_Kayla_? Who's Kay... Oh. _Oh_..."

Sienna just laughed.

* * *

Having lived in Kuo Kuana for nearly ten months now, Yang had experienced quite a few surprises, but one thing she had never expected, was for Kali to ask to join in on her morning runs.

It had been a long time since the older woman was a _morning person_, so even hearing that she was interested in exercising with the blonde was a shock. After all, ever since her husband's passing, there had not been a single day that she could recall where Kali had left her room before nine or ten in the morning - sometimes as late as eleven - long after Yang had returned from her morning jog. Though at the same time, it made her happy that her friend was looking to get in shape, even if she may not necessarily _need_ it - at least in terms of weight loss - as that woman had the body of a damn _goddess_... Not that she had been staring of course... Okay, perhaps she _may_ had, once or twice.

And so the day came.

Awoken by her usual seven AM alarm, Yang changed into her _workout wear_ \- which consisted of a pair of black running shorts and a yellow sports bra - and headed downstairs to meet Kali. Though unfortunately when she arrived in the kitchen, where they agreed to meet the night before, her friend was nowhere to be seen. She waited for a few minutes, but still, found herself without her new running partner. So she decided to try her room, which was where she ended up finding the older woman, though not exactly as ready as she would have hoped. No, instead Kali was sitting upon her bed, still in her pyjamas, staring downcast at the floor. Yang tried to find out what was keeping her, but all she got was _I don't think I can do it_. So naturally, she pressed further, since she knew that that was the only way to get her to open up sometimes. Kali did not answer immediately, but thankfully it was one of those times, as the feline Faunus hesitantly explained how she always felt terrible when she woke up, how she hated having no one next to her, especially when her schedule began to slip while mourning. While it broke Yang's heart to hear, she knew that simply allowing her friend to sulk would not help at all. So she did one of the only things that she was good at: motivation.

It took some time, but eventually Yang was able to get Kali out of bed and into a set of exercise-appropriate clothes - leaving the room as she changed of course. Then they each filled up a water bottle and headed out. At first it went rather well, with the older woman keeping up with the blonde's pace - though she was going a bit slower to ease her into the routine - but as time went on, she slowed, more and more until she could barely continue. By the time the pair returned to their home, it appeared as if she was ready to collapse. Yang tried to help, but Kali just silently retreated to her bathroom for a shower, leaving the younger woman to wonder if she was alright. It was not until they had lunch where she explained herself. The run, while enjoyable at first, took a lot out of her, and only ended up serving to make her feel worse about herself. She then apologized, and promised to do better next time.

And so the next day came.

Similar to every other day, Yang woke up bright and early, changed into her _workout wear_, and headed downstairs. She once again left some time for Kali to join her, but just like the prior day, she did never showed up. So Yang made her way to her friend's bedroom, softly knocking on the door, but receiving no answer. Gently opening the door, she expected to find a similar sight to the previous day, but instead, she only found Kali still curled up in bed.

Yang let out a sigh at the sight. "It's time to get up, Kal." Receiving no response, she approached the side of the bed, finding that not only was her friend still in bed, but she was hiding under the covers, like a child who did not want to go to school. It actually reminded her of when Ruby used to fake being sick in so she could avoid taking tests. "Come on, it wasn't _that_ bad yesterday." Still no response, causing her to sigh again. "I know it was hard, and it's gonna be for the first little while, but you gotta get through it if you wanna improve. I'm only tryin' to help you." Yang encouraged. While she did not receive a _verbal_ response, she did notice the covers pull inward, the form beneath shrinking in composure. "Okay, if you don't come outta there, I'm gonna have to drag you out." Still nothing, so she decided to try something that always seemed to work with her sister. "Or I could always just tickle you until you come out." She threatened, to which the covers were only pulled farther inward. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn ya."

Slowly crawling onto the older woman's bed, Yang quickly scanned the lump beneath the sheets, attempting to make sure that she was not about to touch anything that she was not supposed to. After all, as nice as Kali's rear felt when she accidentally groped it, she would rather not repeat such an incident, especially during the current situation. Once Yang was sure of her friend's position, she raised her arms to begin her _tickling assault_, but stopped before laying a hand on her. Letting her arms fall back onto her lap, she sighed once more. _I can't do this_. Shifting into a seated position, she laid a hand on what she believed was Kali's shoulder.

"Look, I'm not gonna drag you outta your bed to force you to go running with me. I just... I just wanted to help." Yang mumbled, briefly rubbing the other woman's shoulder with her thumb from atop the covers, before moving to get up off the bed. Though before she could fully stand back up, she felt a hand grasp her wrist.

"_I'm sorry..._" Kali murmured from beneath the covers, her hand shaking slightly as she gripped the younger woman's arm.

Looking down at her friend's hand for a moment, Yang sat back down onto the bed. "I know, Kal."

A shaky breath could be heard from under the sheets. _"After your kind words yesterday... I thought I could do it... but I can't..."_

Moving closer to the curled-up form before her, Yang adjusted her own hand to take gentle hold of Kali's. She would have offered a smile, but also knew that the older woman could not see it. "Don't be silly, 'course you can." She encouraged, giving Kali's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You just need a little push is all."

"_I fear that if you pushed me over... I would shatter..._" Kali quietly admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"If you fell, I'd be there to catch you." Yang promised.

_"I think I'm a tad heavy for that..."_

"Then I'd cushion your fall." Yang added.

Kali was actually able to manage the slightest chuckle, which was a good sign. _"Such a noble sacrifice."_

Using her free hand to grip the sheets that covered the other woman, Yang pulled them down the bed, revealing a pyjama-clad Kali, practically curled up in a ball. She looked up with with teary eyes as the blanket was pulled back. "If it's for you, I'd do anything."

This time Kali managed a smile. Another good sign. "You're too sweet for your own good, Yang."

Yang just grinned. "I know."

Kali attempted to keep her smile, but her gaze soon fell, and she let out a sigh. "Every morning, I feel slower, sometimes I can barely stand to leave at all."

Yang's grin quickly faded, so she took a breath. "I felt the same way when my mom died... Like... Like I'd never smile again... But I was also surrounded by my family. I had my sister, my dad, my uncle, I had _you_, Kal." She stressed, giving her friend's another squeeze. "You and Ghira helped me more than you could ever know, just by spending time with me when Ruby and Blake were busy. And now Ghira's gone and Blake's moved to Vale... You don't deserve to be alone."

Looking back up at the blonde, Kali attempted to smile. "You never let me feel alone, Yang."

"It's why I'm here, Kal." Yang agreed.

Kali let out another sigh, shrinking in on herself. "I used to be so much... _stronger_ than this... I'd run marathons with Ghira and Sienna, to raise money for the cause... Now look at me... A woman who can barely get out of bed in the morning..."

Yang furrowed her brow, hating how the older woman could be so hard on herself. "Stop it. You still _are_ strong, Kali, you just need some help gettin' back on your feet."

Kali just sighed once again. "I'm not getting any younger, Yang."

"Doesn't mean you're useless, or _weak_ in any way." Yang encouraged.

"Tell that to my left ankle."

Yang then grinned, seeing an opportunity for cheering up. "Okay!" Throwing the other half of the covers off of Kali, eliciting a slight gasp, she looked down at her left foot. "You're not useless or weak, ankle." Her friend began to snicker in response - a great sign - before soon dissolving into laughter. "There's that beautiful smile."

"Oh stop it you." Kali continued to snicker. "You're awful."

Yang grinned, happy to see her friend smiling again. "Yup! And you're stuck with me."

Kali rolled her eyes as she began to calm down. "Oh woe is me."

Yang let out a laugh. "Feelin' a little better?"

Kali nodded slightly, slowly sitting up to meet the blonde. "Just a little. I'm still tired, and my ankle still hurts... I need to make a doctor's appointment, it has been some time since my last checkup."

"Then how about we sleep in for today?" Yang offered. "Get back to morning runs another time. Since I _may_ have forgotten to adjust my usual route when I brought you along yesterday."

Kali managed a soft smile. Absolutely gorgeous. "I'd like that Yang."

A few moments passed in silence, with the two women merely staring at each other, until Yang decided to speak up. "Alright, I'll uh, I'll leave you to it." She offered, beginning to get up off the bed.

_"Yang."_

As she stood up, Yang turned back to face the other woman. "Yeah?"

"Will you join me?" Kali wondered, patting the sheets next to her.

Yang just blinked. "You want me to sleep in your bed... _with_ you?"

Kali nodded in response. "There's plenty of room." Then she smirked slightly. "And I know you enjoy snuggling."

"I mean yeah, but are you sure you want me... _in your bed_?" Yang inquired, hesitant on giving her answer. If she was being honest, sleeping in Kali's bed with her would be like a dream come true, but at the same time... she did not want to give her friend the wrong impression... Even if that impression would partially be the truth.

"I want a hug." Kali requested, opening her arms and waiting.

Yang quickly nodded after a moment. "Of course..." Sitting back on the bed, she shifted closer to wrap the older woman in a gentle hug. The pair remained there for a time, with Kali resting her head upon Yang's shoulder, her soft breathing able to be felt on the blonde's neck. She had to resist the urge to shudder. While she had hugged that woman hundreds of times, practically every time was better than the last. So warm, so soft, so... _loving_. _Gods I wish I could stay here forever_. Though sadly the pair eventually separated, though certainly not quickly, as if her friend wanted to remain there as well.

After a moment of merely staring at one another, Kali moved backwards toward the other side of the bed, before pointing to the spot she had previously been curled up in, instructing the younger woman to lie down. So she did, hesitantly shifting her position until she was on her back, head upon the older woman's pillow. _Oh it smells so good_... A moment later, Kali shifted her own position, lying down on top of Yang, arms wrapping around her torso, head nestling safely into her neck as she wrapped her arms around the Faunus' back. The feline ears that sat atop her head flicked slightly at her exhaling breath, tickling her cheek. There had been quite a few times where they cuddled on the living area couch, but this... this was something else entirely, and as hard as she tried, she could not stop the hard blush that tinted her cheeks. She could not even _believe_ that they in their current position - and she was in _heaven_. _Her hair smells so good too... Like lavender_...

Instinctively pulling her friend closer, Yang gazed downward, her eyes landing upon Kali's lips, appearing as soft as pillows. They were so close... _Stop it. You shouldn't be thinking about that. You're just friends! That's all you'll ever be_... Unfortunately that thought could not stop her inner desires. Yang attempted to look away, or to just close her eyes and go to sleep, but found her gaze almost being _drawn_ back to the older woman's lips. There had been a few other occasions where Yang wanted to kiss that woman, but this time that craving was... _overwhelming_... And she could not take it. As hard as she tried to focus on something else, _anything_ else, all she could think about was the pair of lips that was a mere five inches away from her own. _Think about something else, think about something else, think about something else, think about something else!_

As if on cue, she heard a familiar voice in her head.

_An important part of a relationship is sharing your burdens, equality in all places._

The words of the local Priestess, Sienna Khan, ran through her mind, over and over again, like a broken record. It had been a while since they discussed her feelings about the woman who was currently cuddled up to her, but those words were still fresh in her mind. Like they had just spoken about it the previous day...

_Secrets fester within our souls. Be honest with yourself, and others, and you will find your conflict easier to bear._

Perhaps Sienna was right. Maybe Yang should just be honest. After all, if... or when, Kali rejected her, at least she would know. That way, she could just... focus on being her caretaker, nothing more. Sure, it would hurt like hell, but not forever. Then she could move on. _There's plenty of fish in the sea_. As her father used to tell her.

Reaching up with one hand, Yang gently caressed her friend's cheek. "Hey... Kal? Can I tell you something?" She wondered, heartbeat already beginning to increase. _Gods I hope she can't feel that._

"Hmm?" Came a quiet hum from below her chin, feline ears flicking her cheek.

_Okay, I'm gonna do this_. "I... um..." Yang began, but found herself unable to continue, suddenly hyper-aware of the their positions. Arms wrapped around her torso, head nuzzled into her neck, warm body pressed up against her own... _If... If she does end up rejecting me... we won't be able to do this anymore..._

Tilting her head up, Kali looked into the younger woman's lilac eyes. "What is it, Yang?"

_No more cuddling, no more forehead kisses, just... normal friends..._

"Yang?"

Suddenly snapping out of her less-than-pleasant thoughts, Yang gazed downward, finding two beautiful golden eyes staring back at her. She wanted to be honest with her friend, she really did... but she also did not want to lose what they currently had. Yang knew what it was like for two people after a rejection, and... she could not bear to be in that situation with Kali. After all, she had already gone _years_ without _spilling the beans_, as it were, so... staying quiet would not be so bad...

Kali furrowed her brow after a few moments without a response. "Are you alright?"

Snapping out of her thoughts again, Yang attempted to put on a smile, hoping it did not look artificial. "Yep! I just wanted to say... I-I'm gonna make us breakfast later!"

Kali remained silent for a moment, merely staring into Yang's eyes, before softly smiling. "That sounds wonderful." She hummed, nestling her head back into her friend's neck.

As Yang let out a sigh of relief, she finally closed her eyes, ready to take a nap. It had been quite some time since she last slept in. Though unseen by her, Kali's eyes remained open, her smile fading. In truth, she knew exactly what the blonde was going to say, as she could feel just how fast her heart was beating - It was hard _not_ to notice. She loved Yang, like she was one of her own, but was somewhat... _relieved_ that a confession was not what came out.

Kali was not ready for that... Not yet.

She needed more time.

* * *

Yang could not believe that it had been a year already. It felt like only yesterday that they had all attended Ghira's funeral... Today was going to be a tough day.

Decided to forgo her morning run - as she wanted to be there when Kali woke up - Yang got to work making one of her favourite breakfasts: blueberry pancakes with a berry smoothie. It was rarely easy, pulling someone out of their funk. She knew it better than most. But for Kali, she would try her utmost. Cooking all the meals, handling any cleaning that needed to be done, driving if she wanted to go anywhere, just... taking care of anything. After all, that was why she moved to Kuo Kuana in the first place.

Once Kali was awake, she was... quiet, silently coming out of her bedroom and into the kitchen, not speaking a single word. Instead she merely approached Yang and gently hugged her midsection, head resting against her shoulder, feline ears folded down. The blonde immediately reciprocated, wrapping her arms around the older woman's shoulders, one of them reaching up to softly pat her head. The pair remained there for a time, simply holding one another, the only sounds present being those of their soft breathing.

After they eventually separated - with the older woman offering a sad smile as they did - Yang guided Kali over to the kitchen table, where she sat her down at the head before retrieving breakfast for her. As expected, she ate rather slowly. Small bites, small sips... like she had no appetite at all, despite almost always practically _devouring_ the meal every other time Yang made it for her. Once Kali was finished, she gave a quiet thanks and headed back to her room, likely for a shower. It was heartbreaking to see her friend in such a state, but she also knew that this day was an inevitability. The only thing she could really do was... make the day as easy as possible for her. Unfortunately, that task would not be an easy one, especially with their plans for the afternoon, as they would be visiting Ghira's grave.

Yang hated graveyards, more so than she did hospitals, and visiting the burial site of someone who she once thought of as a seconds father... was difficult to say the least. Thankfully they did not have to go alone, as Sienna Khan offered to go with them. It was nice to see her again, since the schedule of the island's priestess was fairly busy, but the circumstances... could have been better to say the least. Perhaps they could all go out for dinner sometime, Kali would certainly appreciate it. Plus, it would be good for her to be able to spend more time with someone other than Yang herself, which was almost all she ever did.

Much like the majority of the day before it, the visit to the graveyard was rather quiet. When Sienna arrived, they merely exchanged hugs and departed. The only time where any of them actually spoke for more than a few seconds was when they each recited a prayer for Ghira in front of his grave. After that... Yang held Kali briefly while she cried, simultaneously shedding tears of her own, while Sienna gently rubbed her friend's back... and then they headed home, hardly a word said between the three of them.

When they arrived at the Belladonna household, Yang helped bring her friend to the front door, but before they could enter their home, Sienna requested to speak to Kali alone. Respecting their privacy, the blonde made her way inside, but that did not stop her from wondering what it could be about. Though in all honesty, it was likely something to do with their faith, so she decided to just hang around in the front foyer until they were finished talking. Unfortunately, that took a little longer than she expected. Nearly ten minutes passed, and still nothing. Yang took a peak out the window, finding the pair still conversing, until she made eye contact with Sienna - who smirked slightly before motioning that they may still be a little while.

_Guess I'll just lie down or somethin'_. Letting out a small sigh, Yang made her way upstairs and into her room, where she promptly flopped down onto her bed. She then reached over to her night table, grabbing her scroll and headphones, placing the latter atop her head as she turned onto her back. Once she was comfortable, Yang put on a random song from her music library and just... stared at the ceiling, not really feel like going on social media, or playing any scroll games, she only wanted to be with Kali. Especially on this particular day.

As if on cue, Yang felt the bed dip beside her, causing her to shift her gaze downward to the source, which coincidentally was Kali herself. Upon seeing the blonde notice her, the older woman smiled. "What are you listening to?" She wondered.

Looking down at her scroll, Yang found that the song that was currently playing was actually one that Blake showed her years ago; _BMBLB_. They jokingly used to call it _their song_, even though it was a love song... and she was already dating her sister by that point. It was a little weird, but due to it being kind of a big pun on bumblebees, it was fitting, since that was what Ruby used to call their best-friendship. "Just a song that Blake showed me a while ago." She answered, pausing the song and taking off her headphones as she looked back up at her friend. Though as she did, she found herself staring at her feline set of ears, which caused her crack a smile. "Heh, I never really thought about it, but what ears do you listen to music with?"

Kali let out a small chuckle in response, which was a good sign, as this was the first time she had genuinely smiled today. "My human set, as my feline ears tend to be a tad... _sensitive_ with such direct noise."

"Honestly, I thought you were gonna say both." Yang admitted, setting her scroll and headphones aside as she lifted herself up into a sitting position and crossed her legs.

"Only from a distance dear." Kali clarified.

Yang furrowed her brow slightly. "I mean, if it's from a distance, is it even possible to use only one set?"

"If I plug one with cotton balls, yes." Kali answered.

"_Cotton balls_..." Yang echoed, tapping herself on the head. "Duh."

"The more you know." Kali chuckled, reaching over to gently tug Yang's ear lobe.

Yang let out a chuckle of her own, lightly swatting at her friend's hand. "_Hey_! I've only got one set of ears ya know!"

"Hmm, you sure do." Kali hummed, ceasing her tugging to instead admire the appendages. "And not pierced, a rarity in women your age."

Reaching up to the _unoccupied_ ear, Yang took gentle hold of the lobe. "Yeah, I was kinda interested when I was in high school, but I never really got around to doin' it. Tried to see if Rubes wanted to go with me, but by that point she'd already gotten hers done with Blake."

"Sienna did mine, and I did hers, as gifts to one another when we were young." Kali informed, reaching up to lightly touched her own ear, which held a small gold stud, much like the ones that pierced her feline ears.

"Was this during your uh, _time together_?" Yang hesitantly wondered, curious to know more about that relationship.

Kal nodded. "It was. Did Blake tell you?"

Yang shook her head. "Nah, Sienna did a little while ago. Ran into her after my... date, with Fiona."

Kali furrowed her brow upon hearing that answer. "I see. She did not mention that, nor did you."

Yang ran a hand through her hair, unable to look the older woman in the eyes. "Yeah... Sorry about that, Kal. The date actually... didn't go too well, I didn't wanna worry you..."

"Yang..." Kali sighed, gently gripping the blonde's chin, turning her head to force her to meet her gaze. "I always worry for you."

"I know, I just... You were so excited for me to be going out with her..." Yang mumbled, almost ashamed to talk about it. "I didn't wanna make it seem like all that hard work went to waste..."

Kali offered a soft smile, keeping steady hold of her friend's chin. "No work is wasted on you Yang. I'm proud of you, I want you to he happy."

"And it means the world to me." Yang added, attempting a smile. "I can't imagine my life without you..."

Kali did her best to keep her own smile strong, but found it quickly fading, her own gaze falling as she released Yang's chin. "I won't be around forever Yang."

Yang's gaze immediately snapped to the older woman. "Don't say that, Kal. You've got plenty of life ahead of you." She tried to assure.

Kali merely shrugged slightly. "Maybe, but we both know how quickly that could change."

Yang could only stare at Kali in response, unable to believe what she had just said. "If it does... then I'll be there for you, right 'till the end."

Kali laughed thickly, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "You could do so much more with your life."

Yang chuckled a bit. "Kal, I have a life _because_ of you."

"Babysitting a lonely widow isn't much of a life, Yang." Kali mumbled, still unable to meet the blonde's gaze.

Unable to take it any longer, Yang reached up to gently grip Kali's chin, tilting her head up so she would look at her. Once golden eyes met lilac, she released her. "It is to me."

Kali could not help but smile. "You're too kind for your own good."

Yang just grinned. "I know. Aren't you glad you've got me around?"

Kali's lips curled into a grin of her own, reaching up to stroke Yang's cheek. "Nothing makes me happier."

While she tried to fight it, Yang could not stop a blush from tinting her cheeks. "Aw, you're too sweet, makin' me blush."

"Not nearly so sweet as you." Kali countered.

Yang quirked a brow at her friend's answer. "Oh you don't wanna get into a _who's sweeter_ battle with me, Kal."

"_Yang Xiao Long_." Kali burst in her sternest, most chastising voice she could muster. "You are among the sweetest things to ever be, and that will be the end of it."

A moment of silence followed, before Yang slumped a bit. "Darn it. You win."

"Good girl." Kali leaned in, tilting the younger woman's head down slightly to plant a kiss upon her forehead. "_Good girl_." She purred, planting another on her nose.

Yang giggled at the sudden sensation. "That tickles, Kal."

Kali merely continued to grin. "Hmm... Maybe I'm being too gentle."

"Pretty sure it's 'cause you're kissing my nose in general." Yang commented.

"You do have a rather adorable nose." Kali added, placing another peck on the tip.

Yang only giggled more. "Oh stop it! My nose is weirdly shaped. Yours though..." She then held up a hand, touching her index finger to her thumb and sticking out her other three fingers - the _OK_ sign, as it were. "Perfect."

Kali let out a soft chuckle, reaching over to take Yang's hand in her own. "You're perfect."

Yang's blush only grew at the compliment. "Aww, you flatter me."

Kali smiled for a moment, before it faded a bit. "I have a lot of catching up to do." She mumbled, giving the blonde's hand a gentle squeeze.

Yang furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, _catching up?"_

Kali sighed slightly. "I've neglected you for too long, Yang. You who have given me so much, and asked for nothing in return."

"Kali, out of the year that I've lived here- hell, in the whole time that I've _known_ you, you've never _once_ neglected me." Yang assured. "You make me feel like I really matter, and that's... something I could never pay back."

Placing her other hand atop the younger woman's, Kali squeeze again. "I just want you to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted from you."

"I _am_ happy. Being here, with you, it makes me happy." Yang promised.

"Being with you makes me happy too." Kali agreed.

"Explains why you haven't kicked me out yet." Yang joked.

"If I kicked you out, the lawns would never get done." Kali countered.

Yang let out a chuckle. "Then you'd have to actually do 'em yourself, or hire someone."

"Hmm, but then I wouldn't have an excuse to make you a nice lunch." Kali added.

"Very true. Guess we're both lucky I'm around." Yang grinned.

Kali smiled. "That we are. Though I believe I'm luckier."

Yang curiously raised a brow. "Oh yeah? How so? 'Cause I've got a _lotta_ reasons why I'm the luckier one."

Kali giggled a bit in response. "Because I have a beautiful girl to dote on, for the rest of my life... if she'll stay."

"Well I..." Yang began, before quickly trailing off, realizing what the older woman had just said. "Wait, what'd you just say?"

Kali took a shaky breath. "I want... to ask more of you, Yang."

Yang furrowed her brow, confused as to what her friend meant. "_More_... of me?" _Does she want me to... do more for her or something?_

Kali took another deep, shaky breath. "I... have grown fond of your company, more so than I really should, but..." She paused briefly, then swallowed nervously as she slightly tightened her grip on the blonde's hands. "I cannot help it any longer. Yang, you make me so happy, when I would have been... so very alone. I spoke to Sienna earlier, and she... gave me the courage to finally say it."

Yang's mouth immediately dropped open, eyes widening as she only stared in absolute disbelief. "Are you... saying what I think you're saying?"

Kali attempted a smile, nodding slightly. "I... hope I have not misread your feelings for me, I don't wish to take advantage."

Yang quickly shook her head. "No no! Not at all! I..." She began, taking a deep breath to quell her beating heart, unable to believe that she was about to admit this. "I-I've... actually felt the same way... for a long time... I-I really like you, Kali..." Though as she said it, _like_ was a bit of an understatement. In truth, she had been head-over-heels in love with the older woman since high school. Ever since Ruby and Blake had started dating and spending the majority of their time alone together - several years ago at this point - Yang was left with a lot of time to herself, as she had little in terms of _out-of-school friends_. At least... until one afternoon, where she was invited over to the Belladonna's for tea and cookies. Yes... one fateful afternoon spent with her friend's parents that quickly blossomed into what would come to be the most real friendships she ever had, and whenever Ghira was away for work, Yang would end up getting to spend that time alone with Kali. Which was part how Yang came to fall so hard for her. Having a mother figure who loved and cared for her, built her up and pushed her forward, it was the one thing she craved.

Kali let out a breathy laugh, blushing and grinning uncontrollably. "I had my suspicions. At first I simply ignored them, you're young, and... _active_, I figured it was natural you would be... _amorous_ at times."

"Yeah... I'm not exactly subtle when it comes to this stuff." Yang admitted with a nervous chuckle, bringing a hand up to run through her hair. "And uh, sorry if you... _heard_ anything while I've been living here..."

Kali merely shook her head, though her smile and blush remained strong. Which actually made the blonde wonder something. Had the older woman ever... _thought about her_ during her own alone time? "Yang, sweetie, I raised Blake..."

Yang was silent for a moment. "Was she a little noisy too?"

Kali shrugged slightly. "Well, her partners were."

Yang just blinked. "_Oh_." While she had no experience with her friend's other girlfriends or boy... wait, had Blake ever _had_ any boyfriends? Perhaps not, due to her never mentioning any, as well as her... _equipment_, so to speak, but not impossible. She could always ask her the next time they saw or spoke to one another. "Well uh, sorry about Rubes. She doesn't know how to cover her mouth."

"Actually, she does..." Kali corrected after a moment, seeming like she was about to shudder.

"Not from what _I've_ heard..." Yang cringed. "But that's a topic I'd rather not get into." A brief silence followed, with both women simply looking at one another. "So... you really do... like me... _like that_? I'm not misunderstanding or anything? Or dreaming?"

Kali just softly smiled. "Oh Yang..." Bringing one of the younger woman's hands up to her mouth, she planted a gentle kiss upon her knuckles. "If only my dreams were like this more often."

Yang immediately felt a dumb grin spread across her face, her cheeks heating up, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. "I c-can't believe this is happening..."

"You're so beautiful when you're flustered." Kali purred, sliding her hand up to run through Yang's hair. "So very beautiful..."

_Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods, on my gods_! Yang could barely think. Her mind was racing, heart beating incredibly fast, palms beginning to sweat... _She's staring at you, say something_! "Y-You're beautiful too..."

Kali chuckled a bit. "I'm glad you believe so Yang." She smiled, leaning forward to place another kiss on Yang's nose, only for the blonde to unintentionally lean in first, catching her lips in a nervous, shaky kiss. Upon separating, the pair proceeded to merely stare at one another for several moments, stunned at what just accidentally happened.

Yang then audibly swallowed, barely able to comprehend the fact that she actually _kissed_ the woman of her dreams - quite literally sometimes. "Y-You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met..."

Kali let out a shuddering breath, as fresh tears began to fill her eyes. "So are you."

After a few more moments spent in silence, Yang took another deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. "C-Can... we try that... again?"

Kali laughed again, beginning to lean forward toward the younger woman. "We can do this all you like Yang, _I'm yours_."

If there was one thing that Yang _never_ believed she would _ever_ hear in her lifetime, it was the words _I'm yours_ coming out of Kali Belladonna's mouth, directed at her. It was like a dream come true. Ever since that afternoon spent having tea and cookies with her and Ghira, she had thought about that woman every day for _years_, what it would be like to hold her... to kiss her... to... to make love to her... And now... to hear that her friend actually _shared_ those romantic feelings? It was... unimaginable.

When asked what were the greatest moments in her life, Yang would forever remember this moment, the time she took a leap, leaning in to capture Kali's lips with her own, drawing the equally-flustered woman into a deep and searing kiss.

The elder woman squeaked upon first contact, her eyes bulging, before sliding shut, giving in. She slid forward, as far as she could, wrapping her arms around Yang's waist and returning the embrace with fervor. It had been a long time since she had been kissed like that, and... it was amazing.

To Yang the experience was equally gratifying. There were others she had kissed where it felt like a... _battle_. There was force, teeth, both of them seemingly fighting for control... Kali however... she practically melted into her, soft and gentle, almost yielding control. The feeling of her arms, of her body, of her lips... set alight a flame within her, and it burned bright.

Finally they broke off, panting softly, their breath mingling with one another. As they slowly came down from their high, Kali's eyes lidded as she stared down at Yang. The blonde did not even notice that they were now in a new position, with her laying back, and Kali sitting atop her hips.

_That was... incredible._

"Well, it seems we may have done a tad more than kiss." Kali giggled.

Yang could not help but grin like an idiot at the sight before her, beginning to shake with chuckles as her cheeks burned.

Among other places.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Stay tuned for "Part 2: Love"! Coming sometime in the next few weeks!

And as always, your feedback fuels us!


	2. Part 2: Love

**Author's Note**: Alright! Here we are with part 2 of this Holiday-themed one-shot! (technically)

Just a warning, this chapter contains explicit sexual content in scene 4. Thank Terminal for that.

Anywho, hope you all enjoy!

* * *

If there were two things that Yang did not expect to wake up to, they were a cold bed, and a sore... everything, really. Normally, she would be out on her morning run... or just coming back from one... depending on what time it currently was, but not on this particular day. _Not after last night_. It almost made her shudder just thinking about it.

Blindly reaching over to her night stand, she fumbled around for her scroll, but sadly found her grasp wanting. Which was... odd. That was _always_ where she left the device at the end of the day. Unless... Pulling herself up into a sitting position, Yang rubbed the sleep from her eyes before raising her arms to stretch her aching muscles. _Gods damn did she ever do a number on me, and I haven't even gotten out of bed yet_. She thought to herself, lowering her arms back down and gazing around the sunlit bedroom. A room that once belonged solely to Kali, but now... it was _theirs_ \- which even now, after over two months of being together, she could still not _believe_ they shared a bedroom, but a _bed_ as well. It was like- no, it _was_ a dream come true. It almost made her chuckle out loud. _And here I thought that just living with her was amazing._

Looking around at the various articles of clothing that were scattered around the bedroom, searching for whatever pants she had been wearing the prior day, Yang spotted a familiar green tank top, appearing as if it had been practically torn in half. _How the hell... Oh yeah_. Now it was coming back to her. It had been ripped by Kali last night in the... _heat of the moment_, so to speak. _I'll buy you a new one_. She told her, right before tearing the shirt right off of her body. _It was so hot_. Even now, the morning after, Yang could _still_ not believe that happened. Though that did seem to be a common theme with things that had occurred within the past few months - And she absolutely could not get enough of it.

_Man I love my life._

Eventually locating the jeans from the prior day, Yang pulled the covers off of her naked body and got out of bed - at least... that was the plan. Upon placing her feet onto the carpet and attempting to stand up, she quickly found that her legs were a _tad_ wobblier than she expected... Okay, maybe a _lot_ wobblier. So wobbly in fact that Yang merely fell back onto the bed. _Guess they need a little massage first_. She guessed, leaning forward to begin rubbing the two limbs. Though while she did, her attention was drawn to the familiar buzzing of her scroll, rattling upon her night stand. Reaching over to pick up the device, she discovered the notification was a text from her sister. Opening up the message, Yang found that it was a selfie, taken by Ruby of her and Blake on the plane that was scheduled to take them to Menagerie, with the caption _See you this afternoon sis_! It caused a smile to spread across her face. She had not seen either of them in a long time, and was exceptionally excited that they were coming for Solstice. Unfortunately, that smile soon faded, as a realization quickly set in regarding what exactly that meant.

All of a sudden a wave of anxiety shot through her entire body. _Blake's coming today... and I've been dating her mother for two months... Oh gods_... Reaching for a nearby pillow, she grabbed the plush object and hugged it close to her bare chest, taking several deep breaths. _It's gonna be fine, it's gonna be fine, it's gonna be fine..._

Suddenly the squeak of the bedroom door was heard, pulling Yang from her... _less than pleasant_ thoughts. Turning toward the source of the noise, she found her beautiful girlfriend - which felt _really_ good to be able to say - entering the bedroom with one of those trays people use for breakfast in bed, complete with something under a food cover. A smile adorned her face, and she wore her signature _Everything is better in Mom's kitchen_ apron... _Only_ that apron. The mere sight made Yang audibly swallow. Kali was bringing her breakfast in bed in _nothing but an apron_. Tanned thighs on full display, sizable breasts _barely_ being covered by the thin fabric...

_I feel like I've had this fantasy before..._

"Good morning, and Happy Solstice, my Little Dragon." Kali hummed as she approached the bed, placing the tray next to the younger woman. She then brought a hand up to cup her cheek, leaning down to meet her in a gentle kiss. The two remained there for a few moments before separating, but as they did, Kali's smile shifted a bit toward a slight smirk. "You sure slept in."

As distracted as she was by her girlfriend's attire - or technically _the lack thereof_ \- Yang was still able to let out a chuckle, continuing to massage her thighs. "Well, considering my legs don't even wanna support me yet, I didn't think I'd be wakin' up for my morning run today."

Kali merely grinned, clearly proud of what she had done. "I had a feeling." Motioning for Yang to fully get back on the bed - which she slowly did, due to the partial lack of control over her legs - she picked the tray of food back up and placed it over-top of the blonde's legs. "Since I happened to wake up first, which is a rarity on its own, I thought that I would make you breakfast in bed, as a... _reward_, for last night." She explained - the grin still on her face - lifting the metal cover and revealing the meal, which was a rather large plate of scrambled eggs, paired with two pieces of toast with that amazing homemade cocoa-hazelnut spread from the local market, and a glass of orange juice. "Bon Appétit!" Kali hummed, putting the cover aside and sitting on the bed next to her girlfriend with a smile.

Yang merely stared at the meal before her for a moment, until realizing what the older woman had said. It caused her to almost hesitantly raise a brow. "A _reward_? What'd I do to deserve that?"

Kali offered a warm smile, picking up the pepper shaker to lightly sprinkle the eggs - just how Yang liked it. "Well, when I awoke earlier this morning and saw what I had left on your body, I realized our session last night was a tad more... _intense_ than I first thought, especially since I may have unintentionally used my claws on you once or twice... So I wanted to ensure that you received proper aftercare when you woke up."

_Well, that explains the slight sting on my back and ass_. Yang thought to herself, before furrowing her brow slightly as the older woman placed the pepper shaker back on the tray. _"Aftercare?"_

Kali offered a warm smile as she picked up the fork. "My apologies, I sometimes find myself forgetting that not everyone is as familiar with BDSM terms as Sienna and I are. _Aftercare_ refers to the practice of taking care of a sub after a particularly rough session, meant to be a calm and healing process to repair any physical or psychological damage incurred during that session, as degradation and punishment can be very rough."

Yang's eyes widened a bit at Kali's rather... _specific_ knowledge, not even noticing how she was gathering some of the scrambled eggs onto the fork. "Wow. I uh, didn't know you were into that sort of thing..."

Kali just let out a soft giggle at Yang's surprise. "Once upon a time." She answered. "Sienna and I used to _play_ every so often when we were dating. We actually experienced a lot of firsts together during that time, many of which were due to that exploration. I have plenty of stories if you're interested."

Yang paused for a moment, considering her options. On one hand, it was a bit weird to ask her current girlfriend about her BDSM-filled sex life with an ex-girlfriend from over twenty years ago, but on the other... it sounded rather hot. "Okay now I kinda wanna hear one."

Kali merely giggled once again. "And I would be happy to satisfy that curiosity, but first, open wide." She requested, holding up a fork full of scrambled eggs.

Yang immediately quirked a brow, barely suppressing a snicker. "You're gonna _feed me?"_

"That is the condition for hearing a story." Kali answered with an innocent smile, obviously masking a sly intention. "If you would like I could pretend it's an airplane, as I once did for Blake when she was young."

This time, Yang was unable to hold back a laugh. "You know what? Go for it, Kal. Been a while since I had eggs served to me like I'm five."

Kali quickly joined her girlfriend in laughter. Once they calmed down, she held out the forkful of eggs. "Here comes the airplane~... She near-sang, maneuvering the fork around in front of Yang's face before moving it into her open mouth. After the blonde's lips closed around the fork, she slowly retracted it, emphasizing the motion by tilting the utensil upward as it exited her mouth. "There's a good girl."

As delicious as the eggs were, Yang could not help but chuckle slightly - since if she _fully_ chuckled, she would likely end up choking. "Gods I feel like a child."

"That's because compared to me, you still _are_ a child." Kali mentioned, her smile faltering a bit, gaze falling and feline ears drooping, which caused Yang's smile to do the same. "Far too young..."

Bringing a hand up, the blonde gently caressed her partner's cheek. "Kal, you _know_ that's not true... Yeah, we get some funny looks sometimes, but I don't care. I'm proud as _hell_ to call you my girlfriend. More proud than you could ever realize. "

After a moment, Kali brought her own hand up, placing it atop the younger woman's as she managed a smile, her ears perking back up. "I know, I just..." Then she took a deep breath. "Thank you, Yang. I'm proud of you, as well."

Though Yang knew that this was not the first, nor the last time that that issue would come up, she offered a bright smile as she was fed another forkful of eggs. _It's like I have my own maid! My own... very sexy maid... Man, I am so gods damn lucky_. "_Now_ do I get to hear a story?"

Kali let out a soft giggle, giving Yang a sip of orange juice. "Very well." She agreed. "Let's see... The first time... Oh, the first time I went skinny dipping was during our first Equinox together, in a small lake not far from the temple. I had forgotten to trim beforehand, and Sienna shrunk in the cold water, so we were both equally hesitant to remove our underwear. But once we did, it did not take long for us to become... _comfortable_. The water was pleasant, the view beautiful, and the company... Well, we were on the cusp of adulthood, and Sienna was a rather amorous youth. I'm surprised we were not discovered..." She admitted, a blush soon tinting her cheeks. "I was rather _vocal_, and Sienna... one might say _she was not gentle on the shore of that lake_." Then Kali let out a chuckle. "I actually got a leaf stuck to my cheek at one point."

_Gods damn that sounds really hot_. Though Yang furrowed her brow at a certain detail of that story. "Wait a minute. Sienna... _shrunk?"_

Kali nodded, feeding the younger woman another forkful of eggs. "Sienna is like Blake, dear."

Now Yang understood. "_Oh_, so she's an uh... Alpha, right?" If she remembered correctly, female Alphas were Faunus who were... _endowed_, so to speak, allowing for them to procreate in place of a male Alpha. _At least I'm pretty sure, Blake did give me that lesson years ago..._

Kali nodded again. "Indeed she is." Then she smirked. "And quite an impressive one at that."

Yang hesitantly raised a brow, curious to know, but also nervous of the answer. "Impressive in... _what way?"_

Kali chuckled. "Stamina, among other aspects."

_Oh_. "I'll take that as _she's big_."

"Even for a young Alpha." Kali added, the smirk still present on her face.

Yang furrowed her brow. "See, it kinda worries me that _you_ of all people think she's big."

Kali immediately quirked a brow of her own. "Is that _fear_ I hear in your voice, Yang? Or _awe?"_

Yang remained silent for a moment, almost ashamed to answer. "Maybe... _Both_..." To which Kali giggled, causing her to deeply blush. _Damnit_.

Kali merely smiled. "You know, it's never too early to explore one's sexuality."

Yang only blushed harder. "_I never said anything_!" _Though if she's offerin'... who am I to say no.._

Kali giggled again at the blonde's embarrassment. "Have you ever been with an Alpha before?" She asked, feeding the blushing younger woman another forkful and a drink of orange juice. "It's _quite_ the experience, and... Blake never mentioned if you two..."

Yang shrugged in response. "I mean, I was kinda curious when I found out Blake was one, but she was already with Rubes by that point, so I was outta luck. There weren't any other Alphas around, at least as far as Blake knew, and I didn't exactly wanna ask my sister to _rent out_ her girlfriend."

Kali seemed almost curious at her answer. "Hmm, I had suspected there may have been something between you."

Yang just shook her head. "Nah, Blake only had eyes for Ruby, and I... kinda already had eyes for you."

"That long ago?" Kali wondered, a hint of surprise in her voice.

Yang brought a hand up to run through her messy blonde locks, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I mean it was just a child's crush at that point, but... kinda."

Kali softly giggled at Yang's answer. "You were such a lovely girl, even at that age."

Yang quirked a brow. _Damn right I was_. "Sounds like someone had her eye on me."

Kali merely smiled. "I have my reasons, it was nice to be motherly again."

"Yeah... Blake did stay at our house _quite_ a bit..." Yang commented, remembering the _multitude_ of times where she came home from a late shift at work to find the adorable couple asleep on the living room couch, or in Ruby's bedroom, all curled up in one of her sister's blankets. Though now that she thought about it, she always wondered why the two spent so often at the Rose-Xiao Long's, rather than splitting their time between the two homes.

"I have led a blessed life, Yang, but the happiest years were spent with Blake in my arms..." Kali reminisced. "I loved being a mother, more than anything in the world."

"Well... I know it's a little early to be thinking about this, but... you could always get that chance again..." Yang hesitantly offered. In truth, she had always wanted to be a mother someday, but with her until-recently hopeless crush on Kali, never knew when, or if that would end up happening.

Kali chuckled slightly, her smile fading once finished, feline ears drooping once again. "That's nice of you to say, but sadly I am no longer able."

Taking a deep and slightly shaky breath, Yang shrugged. "Maybe, but... I am." She informed after a moment, offering a small, nervous smile.

Kali proceeded to merely stare, shocked at her girlfriend's answer, fumbling the fork before setting it down upon the plate. "Yang..."

"I know, I know, _i-it's a big step_, but... I know I want kids someday, and..." Yang took another deep breath. "I'm not goin' anywhere..." She assured, her smile brightening a bit.

Kali lets out a shaky breath, laying a firm hand on the blonde's thigh. "Yang, sweetie, I love you, but promise me you won't consider this a moment before you are well and truly ready?"

Yang's smile quickly grew at that, as she placed a hand atop the older woman's. "I promise."

Kali offered a smile of her own, eyes welling with tears as her ears straightened up. "You will make a wonderful mother someday."

"Thanks, Kal. I can only hope that I'll be half the mom you are." Yang complimented, giving Kali's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm certain you will." Kali assured, picking up the fork once again and scooping up some eggs. "But for now, eat your breakfast like a good girl."

Yang let out a giggle. "Yes, _mom."_

As Kali continued to feed Yang, her mind began to wander back. A lot of things had changed since the pair had become roommates, and even more since they began their relationship. _Like finally being able to see each other naked to name one example_. Just over a year ago, the woman before her could barely _function_ due to the grief that her husband's passing caused, but now she was the one feeding _Yang_ breakfast. If the blonde had not been around every day, doing her absolute best to make sure her friend got the care she needed, part of her would honestly believe that Kali's happiness was not genuine. But Yang knew better than that, because she made her happy, they made _each other_ happy - And if she was lucky, they would continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

"Have you experienced any pain this morning?" Kali inquired, pulling her girlfriend from her exceptionally pleasant thoughts as she fed her the last forkful of eggs.

Yang thought for a moment, adjusting herself a bit to get a feel for the current status of her body. "Well aside from the majority of me being sore and the wobbly legs, I've got a few spots on my back and ass that sting a bit."

Giving the nearly-empty glass of orange juice to Yang to finish off, Kali frowned. "Once your finished, could you turn over for me?"

Yang nodded, placing the now-empty glass back onto the tray, which the older woman promptly lifted and placed onto the floor. "Sure thing." She agreed, sliding her naked body down the bed until her head was on the pillow - she honestly forgot that she still had no clothes on - and flipping herself onto her stomach. To her surprise, it actually elicited a slight gasp from the older woman, which was not exactly _reassuring_.

"Oh dear."

"_Oh dear_? Just what did you do to me?" Yang wondered, tilting her head to raise a brow at her girlfriend.

"It seems that I have caused deeper wounds than I had first thought." Kali admitted, her voice filled with regret, ears bending downward. "I apologize, Yang, truly. It has been quite some time since I have had that sort of experience, and I suppose I got a little... _excited_ in the heat of the moment."

Yang simply laughed in response, turning farther to take a look at her backside, where her eyes widened. _Holy shit_. While she had expected a few scratches, it appeared as though her back was ran down with a rake the night before - some of them even having bits of _dry blood_. _Well, she did say she used her claws a couple times_. And her rear... looked like it had been _paddled_ \- _Probably from the spanking_... "Just a _little_ bit?" Yang teased, shooting a grin at the older woman, who could not help but let out a chuckle of her own.

"Oh hush, you." Kali faux-scolded, her lips curled into a grin. "Now come, let us get you into the shower. They need to be cleaned, lest they scar or become infected."

Yang immediately perked up at the request. "First breakfast in bed, now a _shower? After_ you treated me to last night? Damn, are you _sure_ I didn't do anything to deserve this?"

Upon hearing a certain word in that sentence, Kali tilted her head and furrowed her brow. "Language, young lady. And yes, I am quite sure." She smiled. "But do not get your hopes up, the purpose of this particular shower is not for pleasure, rather for ensuring that you are nice and clean for Solstice party this afternoon."

As she turned herself over to sit back up, Yang let out a small chuckle. "_Buutt_ pleasure's not off the table, right?" She hopefully wondered, to which her girlfriend merely grinned.

"Well, I suppose it's not _out of the question_, so long as you behave."

That was all Yang needed to hear. "You, my beautiful girlfriend, have got a deal." She agreed as both women stood - the blonde much easier this time - Kali giggling as they did so. Making their way into the bathroom that was attached to the master bedroom, the older woman went to turn on the shower, while Yang... could not help but stare at herself in the mirror. She had spotted a few of the scratches that marked her thighs while massaging them earlier, but now that she could see her entire body... _Wow_.

While the two had made love a few other times before the prior night, they had all been rather... _gentle_. Their first time in particular was exceptionally so, as if each of them believed that they were in bed with royalty. It was slow, tender, _loving_ \- A stark contrast to Yang's first times with other partners. For instance, her _first_, first time was what could only be described as an _excited fuck_ that happened in a forest near their home on Patch. It was fun, but ultimately she ended up partially regretting it, since losing her virginity to an at-the-time still fairly recent boyfriend in the middle of the woods made her feel almost like a bit of a slut. Though thankfully that did not turn into some kind of trend, as the other few first times that Yang had experienced all happened in the bedroom... or at least on a couch.

And then came last night; her and Kali's first time letting loose.

It began with a talk - like many of their other important decisions did - regarding the Solstice party the next day. Yang was feeling rather nervous about what should be done about their relationship. Both of them felt like they should tell the people they considered family that they were together, but at the same time, there was so much that could go wrong. What if they did not approve? Or thought the age gap was too large? Or that Yang was taking _advantage_ of Kali in some way? They two of them agreed that they deserved to know, but... the blonde was unsure if she was ready yet. Kali then soothed and comforted her, praised and thanked her for everything she had done for her, everything that she was... All while peppering her cheeks, jaw and neck with kisses.

And then things escalated further than usual.

After Kali was done with praising, her kisses grew... _sloppier_, a tongue soon making its way onto her girlfriend's neck as well, practically bathing it in saliva. Normally, Yang would have melted under the circumstances, but then the older woman bit her, eliciting a slight yelp from Yang. Both of them jerked back, merely staring at each other as they realized what just happened. Yang asked if Kali was sure that she wanted to go further, and she just nodded with a grin.

So they proceeded to go at each other like a couple of wild animals... _I hope that's not racist._

Out of all the times that the pair had made love before, Kali had never been so... _ravenous_. So much so that Yang was barely able to keep up with her through the night. The only real _break_ she got - if one could even call it that - was when Kali made a point to fulfill one of her long-time fantasies; bending the younger woman over and spanking her ass _raw_. It was... _breathtaking_, quite literally at times. Between nibbles, bites, the spanking, dragging nails, face-sitting and _vigorous_ fingering - some of which happened simultaneously - Yang was left utterly _exhausted_ by the end of it all, lying in their bed with Kali cuddled up to her, staring up at the ceiling and thinking _Holy fucking shit_...

Now there she stood, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, practically admiring the various marks that adorned her body. They ran from her collar, to her neck, breasts, stomach, thighs, back, and of course, her rear. Yang had never once seen her body so... _claimed_ before. It was... _exciting_ to say the least. Suddenly she felt two arms slowly snake around her midsection, as a now-fully nude Kali wrapped her in a gentle hug, planting a soft kiss upon her cheek before resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder.

"Now you know what I'm like when I _don't hold back_." The Faunus purred, directly into Yang's ear, causing her to shudder.

_Boy do I ever_. As Yang continued to stare at all the marks that adorned her flesh, a realization soon hit her. _We're hosting a Solstice party today... and I'm covered in a whole lot of scratches, bites, hickeys and bruises. Wonderful._

"Hey, Kal? You think I uh, could borrow one of your turtlenecks for the party?"

* * *

As much as Yang would have liked for the couple's shower to include some _sexy time_, Kali _more than_ made up for it by treating her like a gods damn _princess_ in there.

While it was not terribly different from the other showers they had taken together - not including the one that involved sex - it was certainly more... _thorough_. It began with the washing of her hair... Although this time, it was more accurately defined as a goose bump-inducing scalp massage, only with shampoo. In all honesty, Yang had to resist the _incredibly_ strong urge to take her girlfriend right then and there. But she also knew that this particular shower was more important than usual, so she kept her hands to herself - not counting when Kali's hair and body needed to be washed. She may have gotten a _little_ handsy there. But in her defense, Yang was essentially massaging the older woman's entire, naked body with soap. _Yet another dream come true_. Of course that was after Kali had washed the entirety of _her_ body, so she was already a _tad_ horny from that.

Once the pair was out of the shower and had dried off, it was onto finding outfits for the party. Which of course, was a bit of a challenge, though mostly for the blonde. Kali was clad in one of her white and black hakamas - but with an additional deep-purple embroidered cloak draped over the shoulders - before the younger woman was even finished putting on the set of white underwear that took several minutes to pick out. This was an important party - for several reasons - and she wanted to ensure that everything was perfect... or at least the best that it could be... There was so much riding on this day.

It would be the first time seeing her friends, her _family_ in almost a year. Showing them the life she and Kali had built together. And if all went well... revealing the love they had come to share, and all the weight that came with it. Though she was not fooling herself, their relationship would not go over smoothly. Pyrrha was the most likely to accept it, as she understood Yang's issues with relationships better than anyone. If nothing else she would be happy because her friend was happy. Qrow would not care, he tended to have a blase view of the world anyway. A bit of taboo would surely not concern him.

Tai was... an uncertainty. She and her father had always been a little distant at best. Summer's death had broken him for a time, and the blonde had been left to pick up the slack. The resentment had faded, but never truly vanished over time. So her relationships had been kept private, aside from the occasional odd meeting. If he objected to the relationship... it would not be the end of the world, but the hurt would still be there.

Weiss and Ilia were a little less uncertain. They were friendly and close to Kali in their own way, and Weiss was a distant sister to Yang. Her conservative views had long since passed, and at worst she may have reservations. Ilia being raised by Sienna meant the likelihood of objection should be low, but rationality was not the question of the day. There was always a chance for the worst.

As for Ruby and Blake... they terrified her.

There was no one in this world Yang loved more than Ruby, she had done everything in her power to raise her well, but she was not a perfect mother figure, or a mother at all. Just a big sister trying to grow up enough to keep her family together. By the time the Belladonna parents entered the picture, Tai had recovered, and Blake had shouldered the responsibility of protecting Ruby. Kali was a better mother figure than she ever could have been, and Ruby had attached herself firmly to Blake's side whenever Yang was not around.

And Blake... They were such close friends once, now she could not remember the last time they had sat down and truly talked about how they were feeling. She missed how close they had been in school, and she feared her response above everyone else. She had never been good with relationships after all. Why would that change now?

As Yang idly looked through the variety of clothes that hung along her side of the pair's walk-in closet, mostly lost in thought, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Having a little trouble deciding, sweetheart?" Kali wondered.

"Maybe a bit." Yang admitted, continuing to search through her wardrobe. "Been a while since I've had this much trouble finding somethin' to wear."

Kali let out a soft chuckle. "Would you like some help?"

After another couple moments of searching, Yang turned to look at her girlfriend with an innocent smile. "Well that depends, think you can make me look all _nice and pretty_ for the party?"

Kali just rolled her eyes, a smile still gracing her features. "Do you recall young Blake ever wearing an outfit that made her look unfashionable?"

Yang tilted her head, bringing a hand up to her chin as she thought back to her time in school. As far as she could remember, Blake had always been a fairly good dresser... not counting the number of times the blonde caught her sneaking out of the Rose-Xiao Long house in the middle of the night in... _questionable_ states of dress - which mostly meant clothes that had been ripped by her _lovely_ sister, Ruby, during their _not-so-secret_ nighttime activities. Though at the same time, those outfits were normally rather nice... even in their ruined state. And that meant her answer to Kali's question... "Not that I can think of."

The older woman's smile quickly shifted into a smirk. "Exactly." She acknowledged before turning to look through her own side of the walk-in closet, which confused Yang until she picked out a light-purple turtleneck - one that she actually wore herself fairly often in the cooler months. _I almost forgot I asked to borrow one_. After that, Kali came back to Yang's side and began looking through the various shirts that she owned, eventually settling upon a plain black T-shirt for underneath the sweater. Then she moved onto searching through her pants drawer, quickly pulling out a pair of navy blue skinny jeans. Simple, yet appropriate.

As Yang was handed the clothes that had just been picked out for her, she smiled. "Thanks, Kal. This'll be perfect." _And not just because they'll help cover up all those lovely marks you left on my body._

"Much like the beautiful young woman wearing them." Kali added, leaning over to gently peck Yang on the cheek, smirking at her briefly before exiting the walk-in closet, leaving the younger woman standing there, face as red as a tomato - Something that had actually become a fairly common occurrence since the two had began dating.

After putting on the skinny jeans - with the usual slight difficulty of fitting her rear in them - and the T-shirt, Yang almost hesitantly donned her girlfriend's turtleneck. She was never one who quite _enjoyed_ borrowing clothes that were owned by other people - partially due to the fact that her larger-than-average chest tended to stretch out her friends' shirts - but now, wearing Kali's turtleneck... It felt... _right_. And not just because of their fairly similar cup sizes. Admiring herself in the full-length mirror that sat against the middle wall of the closet, Yang could see that the sweater was perfectly showing off all of her curves, yet it was not nearly tight enough for it to be uncomfortable. It was hard to explain - even in her own head - but it was... _snug_, in the good way of course, and... oddly erotic. Like another layer of her being _claimed_ by the older woman. As weird as that sounded.

Once Yang was satisfied with her attire, she headed into the pair's shared bathroom - the master bathroom - where she found Kali just finishing up applying her makeup. Which, like most other times she found herself in the company of others, was a tasteful amount of purple eye shadow. It made her smile. _Just like me_. She thought, approaching her side of the two-sink counter, where she opened up the what was essentially her _makeup drawer_ and began to look through it. While Yang was never really one who normally indulged in that sort of thing, she still owned a decent amount. Though that was partially due to her girlfriend's insistence on purchasing some for _just in case_, as she put it. Unfortunately a number of the products went unused, as she never found a good opportunity to use them. As the blonde continued to practically stare into the drawer, she considered picking one out to try, but quickly decided against it, as since she wanted everything to be perfect for the party, she did not want to screw anything up by experimenting with makeup.

Eventually, Yang just settled upon her upon her usual lilac eye shadow. And _eventually_ was certainly the correct word, as by the time she actually picked it out, Kali was already gone. Likely to begin preparing other things for the party. Once she was finished applying her small amount of makeup, she took one final look at herself in her mirror, and grinned. _Never thought I'd look so good in someone else's top... and a turtleneck no less._

Making her way out of the bathroom, Yang headed into the kitchen, where Kali was currently sliding the turkey into the oven. Though before she even got the chance to ask what she could help with, the doorbell rang, causing her to furrow her brow. Looking over at the clock that hung on the nearby wall, she saw it was barely past one o'clock, which was odd, since no one was supposed to be arriving for at least another hour. Even Ruby and Blake will not be there for a little while - They were coming earlier because the couple was going to be staying with them for a few days. Which if nothing went wrong... would be nice.

Upon hearing the doorbell ring, Kali turned her head towards the front hall, her ears perking up in curiosity. But Yang just raised a hand, assuring her girlfriend that she would get it. So, the older woman returned to basting the turkey, while the blonde made her way into the front hall. As she approached the front door, her mind began to wander. Who exactly was at their door, an hour and a half early? It could not be Ruby, Blake, Pyrrha, Tai or Qrow as their plane - or connecting flight for the latter three - only would have landed less than half an hour ago. Though that was if it was even _on time_, thanks to good old _Air Vale_. It also was likely not Weiss and Ilia, since their private jet was not landing for another forty minutes or so... Damn, now that Yang thought about it, being the CEO of the SDC - one of the largest companies in the world - _really_ had some nice perks.

Unlocking the door and turning the handle, Yang opened the door to be met by a pair of amber eyes. Before her stood a familiar dark skinned beauty, decorated in tiger-stripe tattooing, dressed in a sleeveless red and black kimono, the couple's friend and local Priestess of Menagerie, Sienna Khan. Upon seeing the shocked expression on the blonde's face, she grinned.

"Hello, darling. Happy Solstice."

Yang merely blinked at the sight, surprised to even be _seeing_ her friend this early in the day. "Happy Solstice to you too... But... what are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming 'til later!"

"I decided to take the day off, leave another Priestess in charge of my duties." Sienna answered, taking a step into the house, which caused Yang to back up a bit as she placed the two black bags she was carrying onto the floor. When she straightened back up, she stood directly in front of her for a moment - which for the younger woman, was a _tad_ uncomfortable, due to the conversation she had with Kali earlier - before stepping forward again to wrap her in a gentle, yet sturdy hug - but not before planting a gentle kiss upon her cheek. "My family is more important." Sienna declared, raising one arm to rub the back of her head.

That last statement alone caused Yang's cheeks to heat up, which was made worse by their current position... and how she had to try _extra_ hard to keep her mind off of how Sienna was an Alpha. Though that did not stop her from smiling, wrapping her own arms around her waste to reciprocate the hug. _It was so warm_... "You're important to us too." She managed, feeling the older woman chuckle slightly in response.

After a few moments of silence, Sienna released Yang from the hug, though she remained just as close, soon reaching up to take hold of both of her cheeks. She then proceeded to just... smile, like she was... _admiring_ her, amber eyes practically _scanning_ every part of her face. "I must say, Yang, you are positively _glowing_ this afternoon." Then her smile shifted into a smirk. "Kali must be treating you _quite_ well."

Once again, Yang could not stop her cheeks from remaining hot, a stupid grin spreading across her face. "You know she does." _If only you could see all the marks that're currently covering my body right now..._

Sienna let out a small chuckle at the response, releasing the blonde's face. "I certainly do, and judging from the fact that you are wearing one of her turtlenecks, and the feint scent of _Kayla_ on your breath, it seems that you have been treating her well too."

As she was leaning down to pick up Sienna's bags for her - one appearing to contain various types of bread, while the other a bundle of wrapped gifts - Yang froze, lilac eyes widening, her blush only deepening. _I thought I brushed my teeth well enough_! After a moment she stood back up, bags in hand, but unable to look the older woman in the eyes. She just cleared her throat in a likely obvious attempt to change the subject. "Let's uh... Let's get these into the kitchen, yeah? I-I'm sure Kal's gonna be happy to see you here so early..."

Sienna merely smiled, watching as Yang nervously headed down the hall. "_You really have found yourself a beautiful mate, Kali_." She whispered to herself, her eyes wandering lower as she spoke, settling upon the younger woman's backside. "_And one with such a fine rear too..._"

Making her way into the kitchen, Yang tried her best to suppress her blush as she quietly placed the bag onto the island counter. Over the past year, she had grown to care for Sienna, just as much as Kali did, but the way she could so easily fluster her was... a little embarrassing sometimes. _Maybe she'll behave for the party... but probably not_. "Hey Kal? you uh, you'll never guess who's here." Yang hesitantly mentioned, prompting her girlfriend - who was currently cutting up various vegetables for appetizers - to turn around with a raised brow.

"Oh? Did someone's plane land early?" Kali wondered, putting down the knife for a moment to approach the counter that held the two black bags. Though before she could get more than a peek into one of them, Sienna walked around the corner, grinning as Kali noticed her with wide eyes.

"Sienna!" Kali burst, rushing around the counter and practically jumping into the Priestess' arms, giggling as she was lifted into the air and spun around like a child. "Happy Solstice!"

Putting her friend down, Sienna planted a kiss upon her cheek. "Happy Solstice to you too, Kali. You look lovely." She complimented, releasing the other Faunus and turning toward the younger woman. "As do you, Yang."

The blonde meant to smile in response, but ended up smirking, as her stupid mouth worked faster than her brain. "I mean, tell us somethin' we don't know."

Sienna raised a brow at the answer, briefly shifting her gaze to Kali. "My my, you really have rubbed off on her, haven't you?"

Kali let out a small chuckle before walking back toward the cutting board. "It appears so."

Then Sienna smirked. "But perhaps a bit too much, as I could smell _Kayla_ on her breath when she greeted me at the door." She added.

Kali's eyes immediately widened at the comment, almost whipping around as her cheeks quickly reddened - much like Yang's did. _"Sienna!"_

Sienna merely chuckled at her friend's embarrassment. "You know I kid, dear." She assured, lightly patting her shoulder before turning back to Yang. "Though while we're on the subject, I must admit..." She began, walking over and slowly circling her as she curiously looked up and down her body, causing her to feel like she was under some sort of _examination_. _What is going on right now_? "To be still standing so tall after a night with Kali... Your durability is admirable. Shall we see the damage?"

Yang just blinked, having a hard time believing what their friend had just said. She looked to her girlfriend for some kind of support, but unfortunately her shocked expression had shifted to one of... _amusement_? _Oh no_. "The... _damage?"_

Ceasing her circling of Yang to stop directly in front of her, with their faces less than a foot apart, Sienna nodded with a grin. "That's right." She confirmed, reaching up, taking gentle hold of the top of her turtleneck and pulling it downward, revealing a number hickeys and bite marks along her neck. A moment of silenced passed with Sienna just looking at them before letting the fabric go.

_Man that was weird_. Yang thought to herself, noticing that the older woman again walked around her, though she did not think anything of it... until she felt a hand grip the bottoms of her sweater and shirt, then pull them upward, causing her to gasp. She looked to Kali once again, hoping that she would at least say _something_ \- such as the word _behave_, which was what she normally said when the Priestess got a little too flirty with either of them, though more often than not Kali would laugh and shrug her off - but unfortunately she just stood there on the other side of the counter, with a slight smirk on her face. Out of _all_ the times for her to actually _enjoy_ watching Sienna fluster the blonde, this was _definitely_ not the one!

Before now, Yang would not have really minded that their close friend was admiring the marks that currently covered her body, but thanks to the talk that she and Kali had earlier regarding Sienna, said admiring made her a _bit_ more nervous... Okay, perhaps _a bit_ was an understatement. It actually made her a _lot_ more nervous. _Especially_ after her girlfriend told her how... _impressive_ of an Alpha Sienna was... _Damnit, why can't she just be family, like Blake?! Actually that'd probably make this a lot weirder than it already is..._

A few seconds passed, with Yang's bare back almost fully exposed - including her plain white bra - and for a moment she believed that _looking_ was all that Sienna was going to do... That was until she felt several fingers gently touch her flesh, which caused to actually shudder. Those fingers then slowly made their way down her back, lightly brushing over some of the scratches and bruises that marked her skin... And she was just letting her do it! Though as much as she hated to admit it, it was... _arousing_ her. Getting touched on her bare back by her current girlfriend's _extremely_ attractive ex-girlfriend, _in front of_ said current girlfriend, because of marks caused by a fairly rough session of lovemaking from the prior night. Though thankfully she was able to keep that growing arousal under control... for the most part. _Just think about something else. Just think about something else. Just think about somethi-_

"_Absolutely beautiful_..." Sienna full-on purred, causing Yang to audibly squeak at her touch.

_Damnit._

Upon hearing the noise, Sienna quickly retracted her hand and releasing the sweater, as if realizing what she had just been doing. She then cleared her throat. "I apologize, Yang. It has been quite some time since I last saw someone who was claimed so deeply... and I must admit, I started to become a tad lost in old memories."

Adjusting her sweater so that her torso was completely covered again, Yang took a moment - as her cheeks were still fairly red - before turning to face her friend, offering a smile. "I-It's cool, Sienna." Then she chuckled a bit. "I uh, kinda got lost lookin' at 'em earlier too."

Sienna let out a chuckle of her own in response. "And now I can see why."

After a few moments of somewhat awkward silence - at least for the younger woman - Kali decided to break the silence. "Well, since you're here, Sienna, would you care to assist us in preparing the food?" She inquired.

Shifting her gaze to the other Faunus, Sienna offered a smile. "It would be my pleasure."

And so that is what they did. While Kali resumed cutting the vegetables for the platter, Yang kept an eye on the turkey, and Sienna took the various loaves she had brought out of the black bag and began getting them ready them for consumption - which for the time being, mainly boiled down to choosing which one she wanted to serve first and cutting it into pieces. It was nice, to just quietly enjoy each other's company as they worked hard to prepare the food for their Solstice party. Of course that did not stop the Priestess from making the occasional flirty comment or action about Kali, Yang, or their still fairly-newly intimate relationship. One such action involved Sienna poking the blonde in the rear with the handle-end of a wooden spoon. Her reasoning? Because _I was curious as to whether or not it was as bruised as I thought_, as she put it. Of course she was _quite_ glad to be then told that _Yes, my butt is pretty bruised_, as if she had hoped it was.

Although, if there was one thing that the flirting made Yang realize, it was how... _supportive_ Sienna was of their relationship, as well as how comfortable she was with them as a couple. The blonde had always worried about how others would view the pair, especially over the past few days with the Solstice party quickly approaching, but she never really stopped to think about how one of their closest friends had never once shown an _ounce_ of doubt when it came to them. She saw how different the two were - in status, age, _race_ \- and always showed unconditional support, even with the... _complicated_ circumstances...

"Hey... Sienna?" Yang began, prompting the Faunus in question to turn toward her. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

Sienna nodded. "Of course, dear. Ask away."

"What do you actually... _think_... o-of Kal and me as a couple?" Yang hesitantly wondered, almost unable to keep eye contact. While she knew that their friend was supportive of them, she had never once asked about her direct thoughts before.

"Hmm? Oh that. Mortal sin, damned to hell and whatever the Atlesians believe."

Yang's eyes immediately widened, unable to believe the answer. "W-What?" _Did she... really think that? No, she's only given us support... Then what..._

"Sienna, darling, Yang isn't used to your cultural prejudice rants." Kali informed as she continued to slice vegetables and position them on the platter.

Sienna paused for a moment, putting down her bread knife. "I see. My apologies, Yang."

Yang just blinked. "Her... _what_ now?"

"Oh the different lands of this world have some rather polarizing interpretations of the faith, the Atlesians most of all." Sienna explained. "_Tch_, prudes."

_Well you're not wrong there_... Yang thought to herself, recalling meeting several Atlesians who were... _not very accepting_ of some things. "So then... what do you think... of us?"

Taking a step closer to the blonde, Sienna offered a warm smile. "You give me hope for a better tomorrow." She declared.

Yang then furrowed her brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Yang, we grew up in a volatile time, human-Faunus relations were tenacious at best, those of us who skirted the lines were more often than not ostracized, and those were the fortunate ones." Sienna explained, her smile fading as her feline ears drooped slightly.

Yang remained silent for a moment. "That sounds horrible... I-I'm sorry if you ever had to go through it..."

"I lived an insular life here in Menagerie, and it was not until my pilgrimage that I experienced the world at large, and its many failings." Sienna pulled aside her kimono, exposing part of her bare stomach. Her finger tapped one of her stripes, which confused the younger woman until she saw what Sienna was pointing at: a fading scar barely disguised by the ink. "It was a humbling experience to say the least."

Yang looked to her girlfriend, who only appeared downcast - her feline ears drooping as well - then back to the Priestess. _That must've been so painful..._ "If you're okay with sharing... what happened?"

After a moment, Sienna merely nodded, managing a smile. "It was almost twenty years ago... I joined a rally in Mantle, one of the smaller churches had held a wedding between a human and a Faunus. The Priestess was under threat from both sides of the conflict. A few remaining supporters and I forcibly extracted her, but not before several shots were fired... I did not notice until we had reached the safe house."

Yang's eyes immediately widened again. "Oh my gods... So even with all that experience... you _still_ support us?"

"I swung back and forth over my travels, there were times I hated humans, times I hated Faunus, and times I doubted the point of everything I believed in." Sienna admitted. "Eventually I grew to understand the reason for my pilgrimage, to burn away my misgivings, to test my faith, and teach me the reality of the world. I carry the memories, the scars, and the lessons I learned from them taught me above all else that the future is written by people like you, who love in spite of adversity, and all that may follow."

Yang could not help but smile, tears almost beginning to well in her eyes. She did not realize how badly she needed to hear that, a declaration of faith, of _support_ from someone else. In truth, she felt _alone_, perched on an island of doubt, surrounded by fear. For all of Kali's words there was a deluge of worry and guilt pervading her sense that day. That she had fucked up again. That she had gotten herself into something she could not handle, that she did not deserve. But if Sienna believed so deeply in them, maybe she was doing better than she thought. The opinion of Menagerie's High Priestess had to count for something after all. "Thanks, Sienna... Really. It means a lot."

Sienna merely offered a smile of her own. "It is my pleasure, Yang. I'm extremely grateful that I have gotten the chance to witness your love grow."

"We can only hope that the others are as accepting as you." Kali added.

"Oh it won't help to overthink things, best to rip it off like a band-aid." Sienna recommended.

Yang attempted to keep her smile, but soon found it fading, as worry began to settle in. "But... what if they _don't_ accept us? What if they think it's weird, or... _w-wrong?"_

"They will learn the error of their ways, or risk losing the respect and love of their dear family." Sienna answered, her expression becoming more stern as she spoke.

"And... what if they don't... _learn_?" Yang hesitantly asked, her voice wobbling slightly. "If they just... _leave_? Abandon us..." _Like my birth mother..._

Closing the distance between herself and the younger woman, Sienna reached up to place a hand upon her shoulder. "Yang, do you really believe there is a chance that any you care for will not accept you?"

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out at first. "I... I don't know..." She managed after a moment. "I'm just scared..."

"Sweetie, it's okay to be scared." Kali soothed, ceasing her preparations to snake her arms around her girlfriend's midsection, embracing her in a hug and planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. "No matter what happens, we will never leave you, and neither will your family. Every one of them loves you with all their heart."

Yang remained silent for a moment, before turning around to reciprocate the hug, wrapping her arms around the older woman's shoulders "Thanks, Kal... I love you guys..."

The Priestess smiled at the heartwarming sight. "We love you too, Yang."

After a few moments of comforting silence, with the couple merely enjoying each other's warmth, Yang turned her head to see that Sienna was just sort of... watching them, with a smile on her face. Happy, yet almost... lonely at the same time. So she partially released Kali to open up her arm to the other Faunus. "Alright, get in here."

Sienna let out a chuckle at the offer. "Oh no, I couldn't intrude on such a lovely moment, the sexual tension alone repels me."

Yang just kept her arm open, beckoning her closer, a smile gracing her features. "Says the one who not twenty minutes ago was feelin' up my bare back."

"I resent these accusations" Sienna mock-scandalized, but finally gave in, stepping closer to join the hug. "I was merely examining, medically, I am a nurse after all."

Yang simply tightened her hug around both women. "Yeah, whatever you say, Sienna." To which the Priestess merely rolled her eyes - though it was unseen by the other two - and tightened her own hug.

Another few moments passed in silence, with all of them quietly enjoying the warmth and comfort that their three-way hug offered, at least until Kali decided to break that silence... in the worst possible way. "It might have been my eyes, but I could have sworn I saw a tent beginning to form in your kimono, Sienna."

_Wait, what?_

Sienna just chuckled in response, which hopefully meant that Kali was just joking. "And I keep telling you to visit an optometrist, my dear."

"And yet you're not denying it." Kali added, likely with the smuggest smirk on her beautiful face.

As Yang continued to listen to the other two women tease one another over whether or not Sienna was aroused during her... _inspection_ of the blonde's bare back - which if she was being honest, the idea of that _might_ turn her on a bit - she just kind of... stood there. Which, since they were still locked in their three-way hug, was a _tad_ awkward. Okay, perhaps it was _very_ awkward, as Kali and Sienna were currently having a conversation that was primarily focused on the latter's... _Alpha equipment..._

_What is going on right now?_

* * *

To absolutely no one's surprise, Pyrrha was the first to arrive.

While she was dressed unusually light for the current weather, hailing from the cold coast of Mistral had granted her a fortitude that many others lacked - especially those living in Menagerie. Her soft smile turned into a joyful grin as she laid eyes on Yang, almost dropping her bags to throw her arms around her neck. Oh how she missed those classic _Nikos hugs_. They were always so warm, and strong, almost like she was being being hugged by an affectionate ball of muscular sunshine.

Once the two had separated - and were finished complimenting each other on how good they looked - they moved Pyrrha's luggage off to the side and made their way into the kitchen. While Yang was overjoyed to see her best friend again - of course telling her as much - she also wondered why she had come alone, considering her father, sister, future sister-in-law, and uncle were also on the same plane. Well, it turned out that Tai and Qrow had some other packages to pick up - which definitely sounded exciting - and unfortunately, Ruby and Blake were having some issues with their luggage that needed to be sorted out. So they all collectively told Pyrrha to go on ahead to inform the others of their situations. Sure, it was a little disappointing to hear that she would not be able to see the rest of her family for a while, but understood the reasoning. Plus, it had been a long time since she and Pyrrha had gotten the chance to hang out. Though of course that would be done while cooking alongside Kali and Sienna, as one of the bags that the redhead had brought with her was full of ingredients for mashed potatoes.

_Summer's_ mashed potatoes.

_Gods this kitchen smells so good._

Next to arrive - and flown in on one of the SDC's private jets - was the _Atlas power couple_: Weiss and Ilia. At least that was what Yang called them. Their relationship had been the result of years of... _deconditioning_, so to speak. Weiss had been an exchange student, her family among the heights of Atlesian nobility, and all the prejudice that came with it. Angry, bitter, resentful, and out of her element, the heiress had clashed with Ruby, Yang and Blake from the moment they met. But somehow, Ruby got through to her, even if just enough to help. Then little by little she grew from her past, until she finally met Ilia. It was hardly a match made in heaven - the heiress to the SDC and the adopted daughter of Menagerie's high priestess - yet somehow they became... _inseparable_ soon after meeting. Their partnership had been an oddity to them all, and even to this day, Yang still did not have much insight as to how it worked. Now here they were, years onward, smiling so warmly as they exchanged hugs with the blonde that she could almost see a younger Weiss melting away from the heat.

Once they were finished bringing the couple's luggage in from the limo - because of course they took one - it was finally time for _guest entertainment_. At least that was the idea, as much like Sienna and Pyrrha, they brought food with them - specifically deserts and _lots_ of wine - Weiss sure did love herself a fancy bottle. Though thankfully it was not anything that needed preparation, since the kitchen was already a bit of a mess. But that also meant that it required storage in the fridge, and unfortunately, said fridge was already relatively packed with all kinds of food. So, while Weiss and Ilia were busy acquainting themselves with _the cooks_ \- one of whom had taken the job of watching over and occasionally basting the turkey from her while she was gone - Yang did her absolute best in attempting to fit the deserts and wine into the fridge. Luckily she eventually accomplished that task, but only after a solid ten minutes of reorganizing everything in there. _I knew I should've let Kali get that wine fridge._

And finally, last to arrive due to luggage issues and _extra cargo_ as her father described it, was the rest of the family - and Yang could not be happier to see them. It had really been too long.

Much like every other arrival, it began with a ring of the doorbell, though this time just after the blonde finally finished repacking the fridge for the umpteenth time. She made her way into the front foyer, unlocked and swung open the door, only to be near-tackled by a hug from her surprisingly still-long-haired younger sister. Swinging her around like a child, they both giggled before putting her down. _Boy that never gets old_. After the two were finished their hug - and gushed about how each other's hair looked so much prettier in person - Yang inquired as to why Ruby even still _had_ long hair, considering she never used to like it before. To which she discretely responded... and the older sibling could not make this up... It was because _Blakey loves it, and it makes for a better handle than short hair_.

She really hated the fact that her sister was so open about her sex life sometimes.

Next to enter the house, with bags in hand, was Blake. And her hair was... _different_. No longer did it flow down to the middle of her back like it once did, instead actually stopping above her shoulders, which was... unexpected to say the least. Out of all the years that the two had known one another, she had never once seen it so short, and... _wow_. Somewhat opposite to Ruby, Blake was never one that ever liked the idea of her hair being short, so seeing it... so similar to her mother's... was honestly rather beautiful.

"Woah, Blake... your hair looks _awesome_!" Yang complimented.

"Yeah, it was a bit of an impulse decision." Blake explained with a chuckle, reaching up to run her fingers through the short black locks. "The last time I went to get my hair trimmed, I decided _hey, why not do a little more this time_? And once it was done I actually really liked it, so I kept the look."

"It also makes her look like a mom!" Ruby added. "And that's pretty hot." To which all three of them laughed - though a bit awkwardly for the blonde, considering the circumstances. _Everything's gonna be fine, everything's gonna be fine, everything's gonna be fine..._

And then Blake noticed what her friend was wearing. Furrowing her brow, she admired the turtleneck. "Is that one of mom's turtlenecks? Since when do you wear these?"

_Damnit._

Yang let out a nervous chuckle. _Just make an excuse_. "H-Hey, tastes change. They're pretty comfy ya know." Her friend just raised a brow in response. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit_! "Okay, I uh, h-had a disagreement with a bush while doin' some yard work, and Kal offered for me to borrow one, to y'know, cover up all the ugly scratches."

Blake remained silent for a moment, appearing to be a bit suspicious at the explanation - which terrified Yang to think about - before smiling. "Leave it to you to wrestle with a bush when you're supposed to be working." She joked, causing her friend to let out the slightest sigh of relief. _Thank gods_. "It's really nice to see you again, Yang." Placing the bags onto the ground, she stepped forward wrapping the blonde in a gentle hug - which of course she quickly reciprocated. It was a stark contrast from the hug that she had just shared with her sister. This one was slow, calm, _warm_ \- compared to fast and loud. "I missed you."

Yang felt her heart ache with guilt, and squeezed a bit tighter. "Missed you too, Blake."

Once the two separated, things went right back to awkward as Blake raised a hand to ruffle the her friend's hair, causing her to nearly shudder as she attempted to keep a smile. While it certainly felt nice, it also brought with it... _conflicting_ sensations. All Yang had known for the past year was Kali's head massages, so feeling the daughter of the woman she was currently dating - also one of her best friends - touching her hair so similarly was... almost off-putting. Though thankfully she did not have to think about it for long, as her father and uncle - both carrying multiple suitcases - finally entered the house.

And thus the party finally began.

Or so Qrow said.

* * *

"So _then_ I said, n-"

"_Now that's a katana_, we know, Yang." Weiss interrupted from the other side of the couch, much to the appreciation of the others in the living area.

"I know most of us haven't seen you in a while, but that doesn't mean we missed your humour." Ilia reminded from her place lying against her girlfriend, eliciting a few chuckles from around the room.

Tai then looked around at the others as he grabbed one of the crab cakes that the Atlas couple had brought for appetizers. "Am I the only one who still thinks that joke is funny?"

"Yes." Weiss quickly answered, to which the rest seemed to agree.

"Be thankful you no longer have to live with her anymore, unlike poor Kali here." Sienna decided to add, patting the Faunus that was sitting next to her on the thigh, as she flashed a sly smirk over at Yang, almost as if looking at prey. It almost made her shudder.

Taking a moment to internally compose herself, Yang just scoffed. "What're you talking about? Kal thinks I'm _hilarious."_

Kali let out a chuckle, clearly amused by her friend's teasing - much like she was earlier - as well as Yang's confidence. "Well, if I'm being completely honest, some of your humour has become a tad stale."

Yang faux-gasped at her girlfriend- or, _housemate's_ admission. "You told me you _loved_ my jokes!"

Reaching over to the coffee table to take a cracker and some cheese, Kali merely kept her innocent smile. "I _may_ have over-exaggerated a bit every now and again."

"_Betrayal_!" Yang over-dramatically accused, pointing at the older woman for emphasis. "After all I've done, _nnnueeeegh_!" She whined, dropping her arm and sliding off of the couch before lightly face-planting on the floor, which caused the whole room to erupt in laughter. Of course the blonde herself could not help but smile from her place upon the floor, seeing as how she just got everyone to laugh... even if it was at _her_ rather than one of her jokes. Unfortunately, that was about as far as Yang got for a while. The best she ended up doing was making her father laugh, which... was not exactly _difficult_, considering the two had the same 'terrible' sense of humour, at least according to the others. Well, _luckily for them_, she - along with Kali and Pyrrha - had food preparation to get back to.

And so, most of the others were _free from Yang's horrible jokes_ \- or so Weiss _very generously_ put it - as the three returned to their kitchen duties. Though as Yang was just about to open up the oven to baste the turkey once more, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning toward its source, she found Pyrrha looking down at her, a gentle smile gracing her features.

"What's up, Pyr?"

The redhead in question merely remained silent for a moment, briefly shifting her gaze to the other woman currently in the kitchen with them before looking back to her friend, beckoning her closer. "I was just thinking, isn't Kali positively glowing this evening?" She wondered, keeping her voice relatively low, lest the woman in question hear it.

Yang furrowed her brow, somewhat confused at the seemingly sudden observation. "What?" Then she looked at Kali herself. _Well, it's definitely not inaccurate... but don't make that obvious_! "Oh, yeah, she looks great." The blonde managed, opening up the oven to begin basting the turkey.

Pyrrha just smiled brighter at the answer, even though Yang was unable to see. "It is quite heartening to see, is it not? She is such a beautiful soul after all, and you have done a wonderful job of caring for her."

Yang could not help but smile upon hearing the compliment. "Aw, thanks Pyr."

"It's my pleasure, Yang." Pyrrha acknowledged. "It makes me happy to see that you have found a place in life."

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Makes me happy too." She agreed before the two returned to their respective duties. Although, as she grabbed the baster from atop the counter, she could not help but think about how... _odd_ that small interaction was. Out of all the descriptors that could have been used, why did Pyrrha choose _glowing_? Of course she _was_ be the type of person who used that sort of _formal_ language, but still... Something about the question just seemed... _weird_. Though after the initial thought, Yang did not really think too much of it, especially considering that before she moved to Kuo Kuana, she did not really have much in terms of _life plans_. So she simply returning to her job. _Gods this turkey smells so good._

And before they knew it, dinner was just about ready. Even though Kali attempted to insist that she set the table, everyone else volunteered to help while she handled the food. Weiss and Ilia set the table, Tai got drinks for everyone, and Qrow took out a couple bottles of wine - of course with a little help from Pyrrha, as he was normally never a wine drinker. Once the table was prepared, everyone gathered around it to sit down, but quickly found that two people were still missing.

"Yang dear, would you mind fetching Blake and Ruby?" Kali inquired as she placed the stuffing onto the table. "I thought that they would have returned by now."

"Sure thing, Kal." Yang nodded, placing the bowl of salad that Tai had made onto the table and heading up the stairs _Y'know, now that she mentions it, they have been gone for a while_. Ever since the party moved into the living room when the snacks were ready, she noticed how Blake had been... well, uncomfortably shifting in her seat on one of the couches. No one seemed to notice at first, at least until Kali asked her if everything was alright. Blake attempted to assure her that she was fine, but her slight yet awkward body movements said otherwise. So, after a little while, she ended up being taken upstairs by Ruby to... change pants or something. Perhaps the pair she had on were riding up on her... _Alpha parts_, though Yang quickly shook _that_ thought from her head, as it was not exactly something she _wanted_ to be thinking about. That was her future sister-in-law for gods sake!

Quietly approaching the door to 'her' room - since everyone but Sienna was under the impression that it still _was_ hers - Yang heard... _something_ coming from within. Unable to tell exactly what it was, she leaned closer to the door, hoping to figure it out before she walked in on anything. After a moment, she had a fairly good idea. It almost sounded like... _kissing_, which caused her to grin. _Adorable. Sneaking away from the party to have a little make-out sesh with Blake_. Sure, it was a little weird to witness Ruby in such a situation with her girlfriend - now fiancé - as it had happened _many_ times before, it was also rather cute, almost like seeing them expressing their love to one another.

Unfortunately, when she silently peeked into the room, that was not the type of love she saw. No... not in the slightest.

"_Good girl, good..._" Blake purred from her position at the edge of the bed. One of her hands threaded through Ruby's hair, practically _guiding_ her mate's head while it rapidly bobbed between her bare legs, producing a series of wet, vulgar noises. It was almost... _vigorous_, how Blake's... _member_ disappeared into her mouth... over and over and over again.

_Man... she's really going at it..._ Yang could not help but admire her sister's pace and techniq-

_The fuck is wrong with me?_

Blake's expression was that of joyful bliss, a dazed grin showing a hint of teeth, lidded eyes fluttering, unfocused gold staring a thousand yards away... until those eyes noticed who was watching them.

_Oh shit._

Yang was caught. Blake stared wide eyed at their peeping tom for a brief moment, before her expression quickly shifted from one of shock to one of... _anger_. _Oh no_. The blonde tried her absolute hardest to move, but found herself frozen to the spot, likely with a ridiculous look of shock on her own face. The Alpha's gaze was so incredibly intense... as if ready to fight her for Ruby to just keep going. For a moment, time stood _unbearably_ still.

And then Blake's entire body tensed. She attempted to continue glaring daggers at their voyeur, to resist her inner urges, but was quickly overcome by pleasure. "_Ruby_..." She gasped, gripping her mate's hair all the tighter. Silently throwing her head back as a climax sent shocks of pleasure through her being, she pushed Ruby's head all the way down to the base of her length, drawing a choked moan from her partner as she orgasmed down her throat.

Upon seeing that... _horrific_ sight, Yang was finally able to take control of herself, gently shut the door, and get the _hell_ out of there.

While she wanted so desperately to head straight back downstairs for dinner, she also needed a few moments to... _compose_ herself... and possibly bleach her eyes. Sure, it was not the first time that Yang had seen the couple in such an... _intimate_ situation, but out of all those instances, this one was by _far_ the worst - and she had even seen them in bed together before! Though to be fair, they had been under the covers during that time, so technically the blonde did not actually _see_ anything... thankfully. Well, aside from their beet-red faces, which was pretty adorable if she was being honest. Unfortunately, that did little to distract her from what she just witnessed.

Instead, she found herself sitting at the top of the stairs, attempting to focus on something else, _anything_ else, but sadly to no avail - and there was no way in hell that she was going to go downstairs with her best friend's _package_ on her mind. So Yang just remained there briefly, until she heard the door to the spare bedroom open. Quickly hiding behind the railing - or the closest she could do - she watched as Ruby and Blake emerged from the room, the latter a bit slower due to what she had just... _received_, so to speak.

"Don't worry, you can devour me later, Blakey." Ruby quietly promised - though sadly still loud enough for her sister to hear - turning around to peck her fiancé on the jaw before quickly heading into the guest bathroom.

_Aha, that's cute... and gross._

Blake merely kept her gaze on the bathroom door for a moment, a small smile gracing her features. Yang hoped that she would either go back into the bedroom... for whatever reason, or join Ruby in the bathroom so she could escape back downstairs, but her golden eyes quickly snapped to the blonde. _Damnit_.

As Yang watched her friend slowly make her way over, she hesitantly stood to meet her. "_Heeeeeeeeeeey_ Blakey... Sup?"

Blake just stared at her friend. "Sister."

Yang cocked her head to the side in response. "Which one?"

"The one not currently brushing their teeth." Blake simply answered.

_So that's what she's doing_. "Right... Your uh, your pants all better?" Yang wondered.

"Peachy."

Yang slowly nodded. "Cool, cool... You think Rubes will want some gum?" She asked, reaching into her pocket and taking out a half-empty pack of mint gum.

Looking down at the offering for a moment, Blake took the stick of gum and slid it into her own pocket. "I think she's lucky not to witness her sister spying on her."

Bringing up a hand to run through her hair, Yang let out a quiet yet nervous chuckle. "Yeah... I though you guys were makin' out..."

Blake immediately raised a brow. "You didn't think to knock?"

"I didn't wanna interrupt!" Yang defended. "It's cute when you two are all _lovey dovey!"_

"As opposed to _fucky fucky_?" Blake wondered with a slight smirk.

"_Yep_. Did not expect to see _that_ in the middle of this party." Yang cringed.

"We skipped our morning routine because of the flight." Blake informed, much to the displeasure of her friend.

_"And I didn't need to know that."_

Blake just shrugged. _"Well it's too late for that now."_

A moment passed in _very_ awkward silence... at least for Yang. "So... just curious, how exactly did you two come to be in... _that_ position?"

Blake quirked a brow at the question. "Oh _now_ you're curious?"

"I mean... I'm just wonderin' how you went from enjoying a nice party to gettin' a vigorous blowjob in the s- my bedroom..." hesitantly Yang admitted, thankfully catching herself before she revealed that she no longer slept in that room.

"Your sister is a tease." Blake answered, matter-of-factly.

Yang chuckled a bit. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know. But was it _that_ bad that you couldn't have waited 'til the party was over?"

"Why would I?" Blake wondered, arching a brow, her lips curling into a sly grin. "You sister enjoys being on her knees."

Yang just remained silent for a moment. "I hate you." _Man I wish I could taunt her back right now, 'cause boy do I have some stories about her dear sweet mother._

"Consider it payback." Blake smirked.

Yang attempted to offer an innocent smile. "Can't just let it slide?"

"Seven years, Yang." Blake reminded.

Yang merely kept her innocent smile as best she could. "See? Not _that_ long..."

Blake just grinned, a frightening look of glee in her eyes. "Long enough for Ruby."

_Oh no_. "C'mon... go easy on me? _Sister?"_

"I don't hold back with Ruby, why should I with you?" Blake wondered, her grin still very much present.

_Yeah, could see that when she didn't choke after getting a dick shoved down her throat_. Yang thought to herself... even though she would _really_ rather not have. "'Cause I'm your _dear_ sister-to-be?"

Blake's grin actually faded a bit. "You've never shown us mercy."

"Yes I did!" Yang quietly argued, to which her friend raised a brow. "Hey, I could've gone into _much_ more detail than I teased you!"

"And I could go into more detail about teasing Ruby." Blake added.

"Or you could just... have mercy?" Yang hoped.

"No."

"_Pretty please_?" Yang near-begged.

"Beg all you want, I'll only go harder." Blake denied.

_Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it. "That's what she said."_

Blake's grin quickly returned at the joke. "Yes, Yang. Sometimes multiple times a day."

_Damnit_. "_Yep_, don't need _that_ image in my head, thanks."

Blake merely cocked her head a bit. "Of what exactly?"

"_You know what_, you little... you!" Yang attempted to criticize, though sadly to little success.

Blake just chuckled in response. "Oh right, fucking Ruby."

"_You don't have to say it_!" Yang hissed, much to her friend's amusement.

"Say what?" Blake faux-innocently wondered.

"_Nothing_!" Yang tried to insist.

Blake's grin only grew, leaning closer to her friend. "You mean... _fucking_ Ruby?"

Yang slowly reached up to plug both of her ears with her fingers. "Lalalalalalala!"

"Hmm... yes, she does like to talk during the act." Blake thought aloud. "You'd never expect it from such a wallflower."

"_Can't hear yooouuuu_!" Yang attempted to deny, though unfortunately her finger-ear-plugs were not _that_ effective.

Blake then grabbed Yang's hands, stepping forward and to hold them behind her back in a rather close embrace. "_Seven years_, Yang. It starts now."

After a moment, Yang met her friend's intense golden eyes with her own worried lilac ones. "You sure you can't go easy on me? I'll never tease you again! I promise!"

Blake let out a quiet laugh, then planted a kiss on the blonde's cheek. "I'll never go easy on my family."

"Can't I do _anything_ to get you to let me off the hook?" Yang pled. "At least a little bit?"

Blake tilted her head, seemingly in thought, before turning back to her friend. "Go back in time, and be less of a cheeky dick."

_She is not making this easy_. "Anything else?"

Blake just smiled, releasing her friend from her grip. "Go back to the others, Yang."

"But I came up hear to _fetch you two_, as Kal put it." Yang reminded herself out loud, which thankfully got them off the previous... _uncomfortable_ topic.

Before Blake could respond, the door to the guest bathroom suddenly opened, revealing Ruby, with a likely much fresher-smelling breath. "Okay Blakey I'm ready-_ah_!" She yelped upon noticing her sister standing next to her fiancé. "Hey, Yang... what're you doing here?"

_Oh no_. "I uh..."

"She came up here to _fetch us_, but ran into me while you were on the toilet." Blake answered for the blonde. "Isn't that right, Yang?"

The woman in question briefly looked between the other two. "Yup. What she said."

Blake offered a warm smile to the younger woman. "Now come on, let's go eat, Rosebud."

Ruby just grinned. "Okay!" Quickly padding over to between the pair, she jumped up on the tips of her toes to peck her fiancé on the cheek before heading down the stairs.

As the other two followed her, Yang noticed that Blake was looking at her, a smirk quickly spreading across the Faunus' face, causing her to narrow her eyes. _What exactly she is she up to_? She wondered to herself, at least until her friend brought a hand up to her face and... began to perform a discrete air-blowjob, complete with the tongue pushing out her cheek at the same rhythm.

_This is gonna be a long night._

* * *

Out of _all_ the places that Kali could have possibly requested Yang to sit, why did it have to be directly in front of Blake and Ruby?

Of course it made sense for her to be sitting to the older woman's right, given their status as a couple - even if it was still a secret - but still, after what she had just witnessed, it would be okay if she did not have to look at them for a while. But unfortunately, Yang was stuck in that seat, and as hard as she tried, she was unable to shake the thoughts of... _the incident_ from her mind. What made it even worse was that Blake decided it would be _oh so amusing_ to taunt- or more like _torture_ her, with a number of... _lewd_ innuendos over dinner. Because apparently doing it while the two were alone was not bad enough.

And of course, that was not even the end of it. Having only sat upon the memory foam mattress of her bed and the soft cushions of the living area couch since she woke up, Yang had completely forgotten about the _current state_ of her rear, so to speak. So upon sitting down on the wooden dining room chair that was her designated seat - which was right next to her father - she was unable to hold in the slightest pained yelp that escaped her. Which of course, drew the attention of everyone else at the table as they all sat down.

"Is... everything alright, sweetheart?" Tai inquired after a moment of awkward silence.

"Uh..." Yang instinctively glanced at her girlfriend for support, but to both of their surprises, Kali was not the one who ended up bailing her out. Instead, the Priestess at the other head of the table let out a chuckle.

"I'm afraid the fault is mine for that, Taiyang." Sienna obviously lied. Well, at least it was obvious to Yang and Kali. To the others, it was more of an admittance, or reassurance. "Yang was helping me... _test_ my new paddles last night." She smirked, to which Tai proceeded to choke on what she could only guess was his own spit, while Ilia nearly spit out her milk.

_"Mom!"_

Sienna merely giggled, quite mischievously if the blonde was being honest. "You know I kid, dear. She was just... helping me prepare for the Solstice service yesterday. Poor thing tripped off of a ladder after hanging some decorations."

"Oh my gods, Yang are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, her voice full of worry.

Yang just blinked, unprepared for such a story. "Uh, yeah yeah I'm good. Butt's just a little sore." She tried to assure, technically not a lie. Her rear was indeed quite sore, just... for a _very_ different reason. Thankfully everyone seemed to buy the story, returning to filling their plates. As Yang joined in to do the same, she looked over at Sienna, offering a tight smile as thanks. Normally in this kind of situation, she would have mouthed _thank you_, but that likely would have been a bit too obvious. In return, the Priestess' lips curled into a slight grin before she winked at the blonde, causing her cheeks to heat up - as much as she attempted to suppress it. _Damn that woman, even when she's helping she's still a tease!_

After the group had said their pre-meal prayers to the Maidens, giving their thanks for bringing them all together and for the bountiful feast, the casual conversations began... and so did the torturing. Yang tried her absolute hardest to focus on the food in front of her, which at first was not exactly difficult since everything that had been made was absolutely _incredible_. Pyrrha especially did an amazing job with the mashed potatoes, and that... really meant a lot, not only to Yang and Ruby, but to Tai as well. It was as if Summer herself had made them...

Unfortunately, as delicious as the food was, it was unable to distract her from the smartass across the table forever. While it began rather simple, with Blake only making 'gestures' with her eyes - looking over at her partner, then down at her own crotch - which was at least easy enough to ignore for the most part. It became worthy of the word _torture_ when she got Ruby unknowingly involved. Grabbing one of the bread rolls that Sienna had so generously baked for them all, Blake held it out for her partner, but when the girl went to take it, she pulled it away, instead pointing toward her own mouth. Ruby just giggled in response - as it was definitely not the first time that this kind of thing had happened - closing her eyes and opening her mouth as her fiancé began moving the bread toward her. Normally, that sort of display would be rather cute, adorable even, but sadly, her friend had other intentions. Side-glancing right into Yang's eyes, Blake slowly pushed the bread passed Ruby's lips, and rather than waiting for her to take a bit, she just kept going until the entire roll had been stuffed into her mouth, eliciting a confused... _mwah_ sort of noise. Once again, impressive, but a little gross - especially with what it was supposed to be symbolizing.

Before Ruby could even _attempt_ to say anything - though it was likely she would be not able to - Kali lightly cleared her throat, prompting the other two to both look in her direction. "I believe your fiancé is old enough to eat her own bread, don't you think so, Kitten?"

Blake just let out a small chuckle, as if she was prepared for the intervention. "You forgot how messy she can be."

Scooping up a forkful of mashed potatoes, Kali shrugged. "I suppose, but I'm sure she will be careful tonight. This is a special occasion after all."

Glancing over at her partner, who was currently trying to eat the bread roll that was stuffed in her mouth. "We'll see."

_"Hm!"_

Kali giggled a tad at the girl's failed outburst. "It seems Ruby doesn't care for your lack of faith in her."

"That's fine, she knows I'm right." Blake smirked.

Kali rolled her eyes. "Eat your dinner, Blake." To which her daughter's smirk became a grin as she returned to her meal, actually ceasing her torturing of the blonde. After a few moments to ensure that she was in fact done, Kali's gaze briefly shifted over to Yang before she discretely winked, seemingly aware of what she had just saved her from. _That woman is such an angel._

"So Weiss, how's the SDC been treating you recently?" Tai wondered, thankfully drawing everyone's attention to a new topic.

Taking a sip from her glass of just water, she let out an amused chuckle. "Oh, about the same as it has been for the past couple years. Difficult, but I'm confident the strides we have made will pave the way for a better future."

"I saw you give that speech on the news." Blake commented after a bite of turkey.

"You looked so professional!" Ruby excitedly added.

Weiss merely scoffed. "I spent two hours getting my makeup done, I _better_ have looked professional."

Ilia let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry Snowflake, you did." She ensured, leaning over to peck her girlfriend on the cheek.

Weiss offered a warm smile - something that the blonde _never_ thought possible when they were younger. "And as always, you kept me safe."

"Blending into the background, as per usual." Ilia acknowledged with a slight smirk.

"I did not appoint you as head of security for nothing, my Rainbow." Weiss noted.

"As the media likes to say." Ilia added, rolling her eyes as she ate a forkful of salad.

Weiss giggled a bit at the comment before turning back to . "And how are your classes, Taiyang?"

"Oh you know kids, the troublemakers hate me, the bookworms love me." Tai shrugged. "But I actually switched to part time a little while ago, split my time between teaching and carpentry. I've been converting the garage into a proper little workshop."

Weiss' brow raised slightly. "That sounds wonderful, I would love to see some pictures sometime. Does that mean the school hired someone to replace you?"

Tai did not answer at first, instead just smiling, briefly glancing over at the redhead seated next to him. "Well... Pyr, would you like to share your news?"

Pyrrha immediately beamed, a wide, joyful grin taking over her face. "As of the end of the last semester, I have been deemed fully qualified and hired as a full time teacher at Signal High!"

Ruby gasped. "Oh my gods Pyrrha that's amazing!"

"I know! Congrats Pyr!" Yang excitedly added, reaching passed her father to pat her friend on the back. Until now, the blonde was under the impression that Pyrrha was still Tai's teaching assistant - which was why she had been working in Patch in the first place - so it was great to hear that she had been promoted. "But what made you stay? I thought you were only gonna work in Patch until you were able to become a proper teacher."

"True, but by the time I received my certifications, I had grown quite fond of the children, as well as the atmosphere..." Pyrrha explained, a small smile gracing her features. "In the end I could not bring myself to leave."

"And you're just telling us _now_?" Yang questioned.

Pyrrha softly giggled in response. "My apologies, Yang, but I wanted to keep it a surprise."

Yang just chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Of course you did. Well I'm proud of ya, we all are."

"Does that mean you're proud of me too?" Qrow suddenly wondered, drawing everyone's attention to him.

Yang narrowed her eyes a bit. "Depends, what'd you do?" She wondered before quickly dropping her empty fork and raising a finger. "_Wait_! Don't tell me. You... got a girlfriend! Nah, too much of a player for that. Uh... Did you... get a new car?"

Qrow just chuckled. "That'd sure be nice, huh? But nah, I got promoted at the brewery. I'm full-time now." To which several pairs of eyes widened, as well as a few gasps were heard. "It was a uh, _pre-Solstice surprise_ according to the boss."

"No kidding? Qrow that's awesome!" Tai congratulated, reaching passed the redhead next to him to pat his brother-in-law - well, technically - on the back as the rest of the table also gave their congrats. Even Ruby, who appeared to be practically bouncing in her seat... for some reason.

"Our turn, our turn, our turn!" She beamed, causing her partner to roll her eyes with a smile.

"Alright hun, what do you got?" Tai wondered, interested in the potential news, but amused at the excitement.

Ruby looked about ready to burst as she looked around at the others. "We're gonna have a baby!" Which earned a set of _happy gasps_, so to speak, from around the table, while Tai just about spit out his wine.

"You're pregnant? But you're not even married yet!"

Blake just scoffed. "Says the one who knocked up your girlfriend barely a couple years out of high school."

Tai remained silent for a moment. "Touché." Which caused most of the others at the table to laugh, as they were all well aware of the man's... _troubled_ past with his ex-girlfriend.

Ruby merely giggled at her father's surprise. "Dad, you know Blakey proposed a while ago, we just haven't gotten married 'cause our jobs have been pretty busy." She reminded, showing off the beautiful engagement ring that adorned her finger.

_Damn, I forgot how nice that thing is._

"We made a deal with mom that we'll have the wedding when Rubes takes maternity leave." Blake added, glancing over at Kali, who grinned. "And to clarify, she's not pregnant yet. We've only tried a few times so far, and as you could imagine, none have been successful."

Yang was hoping that she would not have to hear about anything else that reminded her of... _what she saw_ earlier. _Don't think about Blake's dick, don't think about it, don't picture it, don't..._

"You know, you're supposed to finish _in_, not _on_, right?" Ilia wondered, her lips spread into a sly grin as she took a sip of milk, which led Tai to actually choke on his own wine.

_Damnit Ilia!_

"Oh shut up." Blake grumbled, merely returning to eating, eliciting a few chuckles from around the table.

"Second that." Tai added, to which the amount of chuckling only grew.

Even Kali let out a giggle of her own, which was... a bit weird, considering just what she was giggling at. "Worry not, Kitten, you will be graced with a child sooner than you think. You should be thankful that you have the capability to produce children."

Blake let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I know, mom. And you'll have a grandkid sooner than you know."

Kali merely smiled warmly at her daughter. "I look forward to it."

And with that, dinner was resumed. A few minutes passed, mostly filled with idle chatter about a series of random topics. At least until Sienna drew everyone's attention by clearing her throat, seemingly interested in addressing everyone at the table. "So, does anyone have any interesting plans for the near future?"

Qrow immediately chuckled at the question. "You mean aside from enjoying full-time proximity to alcohol?"

Sienna let out a gentle chuckle of her own. "I believe that still counts."

"Then _that's_ what I'll be doin', sweet cheeks." Qrow confirmed, taking a rather large sip from his wine.

Sienna raised a brow at the man to her left, a smirk spread across her face. "Down, boy."

"Hey, I said I wouldn't hit on ya, but flirtin's just part of my nature." Qrow defended, over-dramatically shrugging for emphasis.

Yang just rolled her eyes. "Your flirting sucks." _And you're probably barkin' up the wrong tree anyway... again._

"That's 'cause I ain't tryin', firecracker." Qrow insisted.

"You always say that when you suck." Ruby reminded... or accused... probably both.

Qrow just smirked at the insult. "Usually my dates are the ones who suck."

Ruby cringed in response, her face screwing into an uncomfortable expression. "Ew..."

After a moment of semi-awkward silence - at least for Yang and Ruby, and partially Tai - Weiss cleared her own throat. "Can we move on now?"

"Yes. _Please_." Ruby immediately agreed, turning in her chair to place her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Tell us your plans, Weiss."

The woman in question just chuckled at Ruby's near begging. "Well, I have been planning a sabbatical for later in the year, as it's been quite some time since I paid real attention to my family." Weiss smiled, laying her head on Ilia's shoulder. "I'd like to travel a little, considering I've hardly been able to get out of Atlas since I became the CEO."

"How romantic." Pyrrha smiled as she clasped her hands together. "Where are you planning to go?"

"The Vacuo isles for one." Weiss explained. "And the Mistrali Alps, but I'd like to end up back here, in fact I'm considering purchasing a property."

Kali's brow perked up at that last part. "Is that so?" To which Weiss nodded, causing her to smile. "Well, that would be wonderful, Weiss. And if you like, I would be happy to introduce you to the realtor that sold us this house."

Weiss offered a smile in return, bowing her head slightly. "I would be most thankful, Kali."

Kali just continued to smile. "It's my pleasure."

Ruby then let out a groan. "Man, I wish we could move here. It's so nice!" Which was followed by a pout. "And there's never any snowstorms like in Vale."

Blake merely rolled her eyes. "If only."

"Well, what are _you two_ planning for the near future?" Weiss inquired, taking a drink of water.

Ruby only grinned in response. "Well you know... _baby makin'_ and stuff." Which caused her friend to nearly spit out her drink.

Tai let out a sigh. _"I thought this was over when they moved out."_

Blake chuckled a bit at the disappointment from her future father-in-law. "It's not over till it's over."

"And when's _that_ going to be?" Tai wondered.

Blake held up a finger at the question, leaning down to lay her ear against Ruby's stomach for a moment. She then arched a brow, then hummed. "No answer, guess we just have to keep trying."

Tai just sighed again. "Just do me a favour and stop telling me about it until then, alright?"

Blake shrugged. "Perhaps, when it stops being amusing."

"It's times like this when I wonder why I gave you my blessing." Tai partially grumbled, stuffing his mouth with a forkful of turkey.

"Because you love me so much?" Blake coaxed with an 'innocent' smile.

Tai remained silent for a moment. "Well yes, but mostly because Rubes loves you so much."

"Hmm, she certainly does." Blake added, flashing a smirk over at her fiancé, who blushed.

"_Okay_, that's enough about your plans..." Tai declared - which Yang was _quite_ happy about, as she had absolutely _no_ desire to hear about her friend's... _thing_ again. "Um, _Sienna_, do you have anything you'd like to do in the next little while?"

Sienna did not answer immediately, bringing a hand up to her chin, seemingly in thought. "Well, I've been getting on in the years, and I desire to sink roots of my own in this world."

Tai blinked at the answer. "Not sure that counts as the next _little_ while, but that sounds nice. I'm sure you'll find the perfect person."

"It's within the next year or so, I believe that I have rested on my laurels long enough." Sienna clarified.

"That's wonderful to hear, Sienna." Kali warmly smiled. "I cannot wait to meet whoever you find yourself with."

Sienna bowed her head in thanks, an action that the other feline Faunus returned. "And what of you my friend? You've been cooped up in this home for quite some time."

"Well..." Kali began, before trailing off and looking over at Yang, who was confused at first, but soon realized just what her girlfriend was implying. It was finally time to tell them. If it had not been for the talk the pair had with Sienna earlier, the blonde would be a lot more nervous than she currently was - not to say she was not at all, because that was very untrue - but... she was ready as she would ever be... hopefully. _Well, here we go_ Yang thought to herself before giving Kali a nod as she offered a smile. Reaching over, the older woman places a hand upon her partner's before turning to the others. "I plan to take Yang travelling sometime soon, to celebrate our newfound bond."

Everyone's gaze quickly made way to their contacted hands, a mixture of surprised and confused expressions among the crowd. The only verbal response that came after a moment was Blake, who coughed and spluttered, caught mid sip of her drink. She hacked and coughed, doubling over as Ruby patted her back. Yang shot a nervous glance at Kali, who smiled reassuringly, gently squeezing her hand.

"Ex-fucking-scuse me?" Blake exclaimed, brushing tangled hair from her teary eyes.

"_Language_, young lady." Kali scolded, before her expression softened to address the others. "Over the past year, our relationship has grown so much, more than I myself could ever imagine, and as of a couple months ago, Yang and I... have become partners."

"_Partners_?" Blake questioned, her expression one of... pure disapproval.

"Yes, partners." Kali confirmed with a nod at her daughter, who appeared to be having a difficult time processing what she just heard. "It was hardly a rapid development, for a time I considered it a simple crush." Which caused Yang's eyes to widen as she was unable to stop a blush from tinting her cheeks. Kali just smiled at the memory. "But we came to terms with our feelings, and... all the differences between the two of us, and decided to let them develop naturally."

Tai let out a breath at the explanation. "That's... _unexpected_ for sure, wow, but congratulations." He awkwardly smiled at the pair - who were still connected by their hands - likely thinking about how his daughter was now with a woman who was older than he was. _Must be a hard thing to digest..._

"Quite unexpected indeed." Pyrrha agreed, though her smile was much brighter than Tai's. "But I for one can say I could not be happier for you two."

Qrow then leaned forward in his chair, allowing Yang to properly see him. "You're datin' a milf? Nice." Reaching out in front of his brother-in-law and Pyrrha, he spread his fingers for a high five, which the blonde hesitantly - and quite awkwardly - accepted, lightly tapping his hand with her own, causing her girlfriend to softly giggle.

"Well, at least you chose a respectable partner, Yang. Kali, perhaps not so much." Weiss commented, a slight smirk spreading across her face.

Yang blinked at the comment, only realizing what her friend had just said after a moment. "Hey!"

Ilia just joined her girlfriend in smirking. "Ditto."

All in all, the reactions to the reveal were actually rather... positive, which could not make Yang happier, especially until this morning she thought they would not accept them so easily. Unfortunately, not everyone was quite on board. Blake appeared to be in a state of shock and anger, seemingly unable to process what she was hearing, mouth hanging open as she looked around at everyone, completely baffled. "What the fuck?!"

"_Blake_, language." Kali scolded again. "What is the matter?"

"_What is the matter_?" Blake scoffed. "What's the matter, what do you think could _possibly_ be the matter, mom? It's not like you're in the relationship with one of my best friends!" Then her gaze snapped to the blonde in question. "Yang, what the _fuck?!"_

Yang's mouth hung open for a moment, as she tried to find the words to respond. "I didn't do it on purpose, Blake!"

"Oh so you just _accidentally_ seduced my mom, like all those other girls in Beacon?" Blake accused.

"_Blake Belladonna_!" Kali snapped. "You are forgetting to whom you speak."

Yang merely stared at her friend, unable to believe that Blake would bring up her past like that, using it... as a _weapon_. "I know I've had trouble with relationships before but... this is different, I thought you'd be happy for me! For _us!"_

"In so many other ways that'd be true, but right now I couldn't give a single _shit_ about your happiness, you're _fucking_ my mother!" Blake actually yelled, slamming both of her hands on the table, causing every single person but Sienna to flinch, most of all Yang, who shrank in on herself.

"It's not like that, Blake, I... _I love her_..." Yang attempted to defend, but hearing her friend so angry over her and Kali's relationship... made the words difficult to find.

Blake just scoffed at the confession. "Yeah, you said the same shit about Neon, and Arslan, and May and Velvet and Coco! It was _I love her_, Yang, and then not even a week later you're _Beacon's most eligible bachelorette_ again! How long was it this time, huh? How long before you decided you wanted to get in my mom's bed? Were the tears even dry on the pillow?"

"_Blake_." Kali began, only for Yang to stammer.

"I... I didn't..." Yang barely managed, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I couldn't... Sh-She confessed to me..."

"Like _Velvet_ did?" Blake challenged. "After you flirted with her to no end and led her on until she poured her heart out to you?"

Yang could barely look her friend in the eyes now. "No... I... I was only trying to be a good caretaker..."

Blake scoffed again, baring her teeth in a mocking grin. "Yeah, sure, I bet you're so happy _taking care of her."_

"But I... I never even hugged her without consent..." Yang attempted to assure, her voice extremely wobbly.

"_Consent_? You think this is about _consent_?" Blake fumed. "Everyone consents to you, Yang, because you're _Yang_, the _bedhopper of Beacon_. You win everyone over with your charm, get bored and move on. What's gonna be the excuse this time? Too clingy? Too hyper? Too innocent? It's not some idiot or lonely girl you're toying with now, it's my _mother_!" She screamed, practically jumping out of her chair to lean across the table, golden eyes full of anger.

"But... I thought you'd accept us..." Yang murmured, her eyes not even moving away from her nearly empty plate.

"What, in the _hell_, would _ever_ make you think that?!" Blake angrily questioned, her gaze more intense than ever.

Yang actually managed to look up at the other woman after a few moments, but could not make eye contact. "I... We were best friends... you know I'd never hurt her..."

Blake merely leaned back slightly, shaking her head in pure disappointment. "No, Yang, I _don't_ know that."

The blonde's eyes immediately widened at her friend's answer, slowly looking up to finally meet her gaze with tear-filled eyes. _She... She doesn't believe me_... Yang's mouth hung open as she tried to form some kind of coherent response, _anything_, but... nothing came out. With a quivering lip, tears finally began to stream down her cheeks as Blake looked down upon her with nothing but anger. Slowly pushing back her chair, Yang weakly stood, unable to look at her friend any longer. " E-Excuse... _me_..." She barely managed, her voice breaking on the second word as she almost ran from the table and into her and Kali's room, unintentionally slamming the door behind her.

And thus, the room fell to silence. Everyone at the table could only quietly sit there, utterly shocked at what they just saw. Even Sienna remained silent, her amber eyes narrowed and fixed upon the younger feline Faunus. "Are you finished?" Kali calmly wondered, reminding Blake that she was still in fact at the dinner table. Though when she turned to face her, the older woman's expression was _certainly_ not a calm one.

"_Finished_? That's what you're calling it?" Blake shot, causing her mother's expression to only become more stern.

"Yes." She confirmed, golden eyes staring intensely at the younger Faunus. "What I saw was an immature girl _yelling_ at her best friend, for nothing more than finding love. Against my better judgement I allowed you to say your piece. But in doing so I let my partner suffer, and that is something I cannot abide. I did not expect you to accept us without question, but your behavior is unacceptable."

"You weren't there, you haven't seen what I've seen." Blake near-growled.

"I am well aware of what dear Yang was like in school, but this is not that time." Kali informed. "I realize that you're concerned, but let me assure you that she treats me with _nothing_ but love and respect, and you have absolutely _no_ right to criticize her for her feelings."

"_I_ have no right?" Blake questioned, clearly unable to believe what her mother just said. "_I_ of all people have no right, after watching her _fuck_ half of my friends, and now she's _fucking_ you too?!"

"_No_, you don't have any right." Kali confirmed, anger creeping into her voice as she spoke. "It is _my_ choice who I decide to be with, and mine alone. Now I would appreciate it if you would go apologize to your friend, _now."_

Blake only balled her fists at the order. "And _I_ would have appreciated if grass could have grown on dad's grave before you _replaced him_ with my _best friend!"_

For the first time in all of their lives, everyone at the table witnessed Kali's expression shift from disappointment to one of legitimate _anger_. "_That is enough_." She commanded, raising from her chair, which caused her daughter to falter slightly. Several moments passed while the two women stared each other down, neither of them moving as the younger one grit her teeth and clenched her shaking fists. The silence, while fairly short, felt like an eternity, both women appearing to want to scream at one another, but neither said a single word. Until Blake seemingly decided she had had enough, pushing her chair aside and leaving the dining table, practically stomping up the stairs and heading into the spare bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

After another moment, Kali remained standing, but she swayed, her lip beginning to quiver. Upon noticing it, Sienna quickly raised from her own seat, quickly making her way around the table to her friend's side, where she helped the other Faunus sit back down as tears began to stream down her cheeks, and the first stifled sob broke free. For a time, the dining room was silent, with only sounds that could be heard were those of her quiet sobbing. It was not until Pyrrha raised from her seat that everyone actually turned away from their crying hostess. But instead of speaking any reassuring words, she merely bowed her head, quietly excusing herself from the table before exiting the dining room to find Yang.

Once Pyrrha was gone, Ruby slowly stood from her own seat, excusing herself as well before going to follow her fiancé, but not before stopping in front of Kali, hesitantly leaning down to wrap her in a gentle hug.

"_I'm sorry_..." The girl managed, squeezing a bit tighter before releasing the sobbing woman and quickly making her way upstairs, leaving the rest of the party in almost complete silence.

What a disaster.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Aaannndd we did it again. Part 2 turned out to be *way* longer than expected, so we had to split it, again. Man I am really bad at making one-shots, huh?

Stay tuned for "Part 3: Family"! Coming sometime in the next few weeks!

Beta-read by our buddy, _Gorsouul_. Go check him out!

And as always, your feedback fuels us!


	3. Part 3: Mending

**Author's Note**: Alright! Here we are with part 3 of this Holiday-themed one-shot! (technically)

And once again, it happened. After finishing the original part 3, it came out to be a whopping 22k, so with the suggestion from out beta-reader, Gorsouul, I decided to split it. But worry not! You won't have to wait another month for the final part, as it's already done! So see the end-chapter notes for that!

Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

* * *

It had been a long time since Yang had cried this much. She had not felt this way... since Summer's funeral... and she was only a child for that.

Lying upon her mattress with her head buried under a pillow, trying to block out the rest of the world, containing her misery as she quietly sobbed, tears stained the lavender sheets. She had never in her _life_ had a friend turn on her like that... let alone someone who was basically _family_. Yang knew that she had hurt people in the past... after all, breakups were painful... but she never wanted to... and wished she never did. In truth, she felt so guilty for the relationships she had left, but they never felt... _right_. Every one of them always had a plan, an eye on the horizon, ambitions far greater than her own. Velvet for one was working toward becoming a professional photographer, May a biologist... Yang had not even known what a biologist really did at the time. May attempted to explain it to her, but... she just blanked out. How pathetic. Meanwhile, Coco was aiming to be a fashion designer, Arslan an Olympic trainer... Hell, Neon was making her own _music_ when they dated, and already had a sizable following... So compared to them, Yang just... never felt good enough... like a failure.

But she had to be strong, keep up the image, that... _momentum of happiness_, so to speak. In the end, so what if she was known as the _bedhopper of Beacon_? Or labelled as some kind of slut by a certain bitch-led clique? As long as she could be someone for her sister to look up to, to rely on, she did not care. Not in the slightest. Ruby respected her, and loved her. Yang raised her the best she could, and she could not risk disappointing her. So she kept all her struggles secret. It was difficult, sure, but that did not matter. She cared much more about her sister than she did herself, so in her mind, it was worth the pain.

Now that Yang thought about it, the only person she had _ever_ burdened with her issues was Pyrrha, and not even by choice at first. After her and Coco had separated, which was... particularly rough, as it was her last _real_ relationship... she had gone to the gym for her usual _post-breakup work-out_. It was a tad odd to some, but working out helped to vent out her emotions. Yang could lose herself in the effort, all without inflicting her suffering on others. She would go to the gym, have a good cry, work out some more, then she would be back on her feet. Unfortunately that particular time would not be so... _simple_. After her first round of exercising, she went to the bathroom to cry, which... well, went as it always did, until a knock rung upon the stall door. It was Pyrrha. Yang attempted to assure her that everything was fine - which of course was a lie - but lucky for her, the redhead was smarter than that. It took some convincing, but the blonde eventually let her friend into the stall, and for the first time in her life - or at least since learning of her birth mother's departure from their family - she left herself fall apart entirely with someone. Through heavy tears, she told Pyrrha about the breakup with Coco, how she wished she never did it, and... how difficult it was to say those final words... She ended up sobbing in her arms.

Perhaps that was the problem, she did not trust Blake enough, so she ended up losing her trust entirely. Yang did not distance herself on purpose, she just did not want to intrude on their relationship. Ruby deserved her space, and Blake deserved time alone with her girlfriend. She trusted them to take care of each other, and she could take care of herself. Or so she thought, until Pyrrha stepped in, and their friendship grew to fill the void that relationships would often leave. The redhead gave Yang something that for a while, she did not know she needed: a trustworthy, non-judgmental, emotional out. Someone she did not have to... _keep up appearances_ for, and with Blake and Ruby becoming so close... Pyrrha took her place.

It was all her fault. The only reason Blake thought so little of her when it came to her relationships in school was because she never actually shared any of the negatives of them with her. All she knew about was Yang's previous track record with her... numerous partners, and that this same girl that used to _hop from one person to the next_ \- some of which were mutual friends - with seemingly no issues whatsoever, was now dating her mother. It really broke her heart to hear, but... maybe her reaction was justified... maybe she _deserved_ her friend's anger...

_At least she's mad at me, and not Kal..._

Suddenly, a few swift knocks rung upon the bedroom door, pulling the blonde from her rather depressing thoughts, but not enough for her to get out from under the pillow.

"Yang?" Came Pyrrha's soft voice from other side of the door. "May I... come in?"

Yang just let out a light sigh from under the pillow. While definitely not in the mood for company, she knew her friend would not give up with a simple _no_... Her persistence always made her the perfect answer to Yang's reluctance. One of the numerous qualities that made her a better woman... a better _person_. "_Sure_..." She mumbled after a few moments, her voice muffled by the soft fabric. Hearing the door quietly open, Yang listened as footsteps grew closer to the bed, until she felt the mattress dip beside her. She almost got out from under her pillow, but... could not bring herself to. The redhead had seen her like that far too much, and she did not deserve the same duty on Solstice of all days. It would not be fair to her. Then she felt a hand on her back.

"Would you prefer to talk, or cuddle?" Pyrrha wondered, likely with a smile on her face.

"Not sure I'm allowed to do that second one with anyone but Kal, Pyr." Yang mentioned, the slightest amount of amusement in her muffled voice.

Gently rubbing her friend's back, Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "Kali may be your partner, but I will always be your best friend, Yang."

From underneath the pillow, Yang managed a tiny smile. "I... think I'll just stick to talkin' for now..." She decided, slowly moving the pillow off of her head and off to the side. Then turning over, she lifted herself up into a sitting position, opening her arms a bit toward her friend. "But I could use a hug."

Pyrrha immediately smiled at the request. "C'mere, you." She agreed, opening her own arms and wrapping the blonde in a gentle hug, allowing her to rest her head upon her shoulder.

_So warm... Damn, how can one woman be so soft yet so strong at the same time_? The two remained there for a time, simply enjoying the feeling of being in their best friend's arms again. "So... dinner could've gone better, huh?"

"It was... certainly memorable." Pyrrha acknowledged, seemingly hesitant to call it anything else.

Another brief silence followed. "I'm... sorry I didn't tell you."

Pyrrha merely tightened her hug, reaching up to gently rub the back of the blonde's head. "Don't be. I understand your reasoning for keeping it a secret. And... I must admit, I connected the dots earlier this afternoon."

Even though her friend was unable to see it, Yang instinctively raised a brow. "You did? _How?"_

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "I was able to spot some of the... _marks_ on your body. Mainly the hints of hickeys on your neck when you were watching the turkey, and some scratches on your lower back when you were grabbing those spices from the top cupboard for Kali. I was lucky that I saw the former first, or else I may have commented on them."

Yang managed a smile at that. _That would explain it_. "I knew you were implying _something_ with that _glowing_ comment."

Pyrrha chuckled a bit. "I might have been." She admitted. "So how long have the two of you been together?"

"Only a couple months..." Yang answered after a moment. "It really doesn't feel like long."

"It never does." Pyrrha agreed. "Like you have been living a dream?"

Yang nodded from her place leaning on her friend's shoulder, as awkward as that was. "Like I'll wake up and be alone again."

"We all understand that feeling." Pyrrha comforted, continuing to rub the back of her friend's head. Another brief pause followed as her smile began to fade. "But... can you understand how Blake felt about your announcement?"

Yang let out a shaky sigh. "I... I know she might not be happy, but..." Then she sniffled, fresh tears coming forth. _This feels familiar_. "I didn't think she'd hate me like this..."

Releasing her friend, Pyrrha looked her straight in the eyes as she took her hands within her own. "Yang... Blake doesn't hate you, she's merely worried about her mother. If you recall, she only knows what you told her about your relationships in the past."

After a moment, Yang slowly nodded. "I know, it's all I can think about, but I didn't... I didn't think we'd grown this far apart..."

"Such things happen sometimes." Pyrrha sadly admitted. "It's unfortunate, but it's nothing that cannot be mended."

Yang's gaze just fell. "It sure feels pretty un-mendable, Pyr."

Reaching over to take hold of her friend's face, Pyrrha gently turned her head so that sad lilac eyes met her own emerald green. "I know, Yang. I cannot tell you that it will be fixed overnight, but I promise you, your friendship is not over."

Yang merely sighed, unable to keep her eyes level with the redhead. "It wouldn't be the first." She mumbled.

"This is not like those other times." Pyrrha attempted to assure, with... unknown success. "Like it or not, you and Blake are family, whether it be through Ruby, Kali, or simply your two families' closeness to one another. Revealing that you are in a happy, loving relationship will not break that."

After a few moments of silence, Yang let out a shaky breath. "I'm... I'm _fucking her mom_, Pyr..."

Pyrrha shrugged slightly in response. "A crude way of putting it, but yes. Now tell me, did the relationship begin as merely physical?"

Yang thought for a moment. "I mean, we kissed... but we didn't... _really_ jump into bed together... in that way, not for a while..." The two had actually slept in the same bed a number of times before they... _did_ anything aside from cuddling.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, Yang." Pyrrha smiled. "Sex is part of most relationships, and what you and Kali do in the privacy of your bedroom is no one's business but your own."

Yang just sighed. "It doesn't matter to Blake... She just thinks I'm gonna... _use_ Kali and leave... because that's all she knows me for..."

Pyrrha's smile faltered, but remained as strong as she could manage. "It does not seem so now, but I for one can see that you love that woman, more than you have loved any other partner, and I promise, in time she will understand as well."

Yang's lip quivered, tears again beginning to pool in her eyes. "I _hurt_ the people I love, Pyr... I hurt them so much that's all Blake can see happening..."

Pyrrha just pulled her friend into another hug, squeezing tight as the blonde began to cry. "I know, Yang... I know you hurt them, and I know it looks worse from Blake's point of view, but you must understand they do not hate you."

"Wouldn't that be nice..." Yang mumbled.

"You do realize I am active on social media, don't you?." Pyrrha wondered, a brow raised.

Yang just shrugged. "I guess? I mean I haven't really used any of that in a while..." In fact it had been several years. Since her breakup with Coco...

"Evidently, it makes it quite easy to keep track of our friends, past and present." Pyrrha informed. "_Including_ your past relationships."

Yang suddenly found it difficult to maintain eye contact with her friend. At this point, she had spent _years_ away from most kinds of social media - aside from that messaging app, _Harmony_ to easily keep in touch with close friends and family. "So then you've... seen what they've all been up to?"

Pyrrha simply nodded. "Of course. Would you like to know?"

Upon hearing her friend's answer, Yang found her mouth hanging open for several moments. "I... um... How... How are they doing?" She hesitantly wondered, lilac eyes still unable to meet Pyrrha's emerald green. "H-How's Coco? If you've... kept in touch of course..."

Pyrrha offered a smile in response. "Coco is doing quite well, her fashion start-up has achieved notable success in Vacuo and Mistral... and she recently married."

_Guess I'd know that if I was still on social media_. "She... got married?" Yang wondered, flabbergasted at the news, to which her friend nodded. "That's amazing to hear... Anyone we know?"

Pyrrha merely shrugged slightly. "You might, a rather more confident Lepus Faunus than we used to know."

Yang furrowed her brow. "You don't mean... _Velvet?"_

"The very same." Pyrrha confirmed. "Though at times she seems unrecognizable."

Yang opened her mouth a few times, but found her struggling to find a response. "That's... wow, didn't think those two would work as a pair... though I did date Velvet so I guess it makes sense..."

"They spent a long time as friends, Yang, and their interests did align." Pyrrha explained.

"Guess that's true..." Yang mumbled to herself. "Well I'm glad they're doing good." A brief pause followed, as she pondered asking a certain question. "Have they uh... ever mentioned me?"

"They ask about you rather frequently." Pyrrha answered with a nod.

Yang blinked, actually looking up at her friend, unable to belief that answer. "They... They do?"

"They missed you, Yang." Pyrrha added, offering a small smile.

"I missed 'em too, I just... didn't think they'd want anything to do with me..." Yang admitted, her gaze falling once again.

"A broken heart doesn't break a friendship, Yang." Pyrrha consoled, reaching up to place a hand upon her friend's shoulder. "Your distance only hurt yourself, and confused them."

Yang let out a sigh. "That doesn't matter... They're better off without me anyway..."

Pyrrha quickly narrowed her eyes, somewhat unintentionally tightening her grip on Yang's shoulder. "Nonsense. Would you like to know the _first_ they each asked me when I got back in contact with them?" She offered, to which the blonde just barely shrugged. _"How's Yang doing?"_

After a moment, Yang's lip quivered. She reached over for her pillow, drawing it into her chest as she shut her eyes, attempting to keep herself from crying again. "_Why_?" She croaked.

"Because they care about you."

Yang choked at the answer, burying her face in the pillow, unable to stop the tears as she clenched it tighter. _"I hurt them... They deserved better."_

"What they _deserve_ is to know how their friend is doing, Yang." Pyrrha argued.

Yang just sniffled, though it was muffled by the soft fabric. _"How could they consider me a friend after what I did to them?"_

"_Because they loved you_, Yang." Pyrrha pressed. "You don't just stop loving someone because you cannot be together. Do you think I stopped loving Jaune?"

"_I don't... No_..." Yang murmured into the pillow.

"They aren't the only ones." Pyrrha added. "I've spoken with many of your former partners."

Yang's entire body stiffened in response. "_You... you have_?" She wondered, lifting her head slightly to look at her friend.

Pyrrha nodded. "I have. Specifically Neon, Arslan and May in particular."

Yang actually audibly swallowed. It had been a long time since she had heard _any_ of those names, years in fact. Practically since she broke up with each of them... "A-And... what have they said?"

"Arslan asked if you were still available." Pyrrha answered.

Yang actually managed a slight chuckle, loosening her grip on the pillow. "Of course she did..."

"She spoke rather fondly of you, though regretful she wasn't able to keep your interest." Pyrrha continued.

Yang looked up at her friend with sad eyes. "Did... you tell her it... wasn't about that?"

Pyrrha nodded, offering a slight smile. "I told her you loved her dearly, in spite of appearances."

Upon hearing her answer, Yang managed a small smile of her own. "Thanks, Pyr..."

"Neon and May on the other hand, were different." Pyrrha informed.

_That doesn't sound good_... "H-How so...?"

"Neon went through a similar experience, and found herself in your shoes." Pyrrha clarified.

That was certainly not the answer Yang was expecting. "She... she did?" To which Pyrrha nodded, pulling her scroll from her pocket and scrolling through her messages. A few moments later, she turned the device to show her friend, pointing to a certain text message from the feline Faunus.

**Neon**: _I was with this nice guy, and he was a doctor, and he was kind and sweet and his entire family treated my like I was their own and all I could think was *fuck me I don't deserve this*, and then I realize I wanted to leave a perfect relationship cuz I didn't feel good enough, and it just hit me._

As she finished reading the text, Yang smiled, more brightly this time. "She deserves a good family, her mom's kind of a bitch."

Pyrrha matched the blonde's smile with one of her own. "Then I am sure you'll be happy to know that she is still with him."

Yang slowly nodded at the news. "That's good..."

"May meanwhile is found herself imitating you in other ways." Pyrrha continued once again.

Looking back up at her friend, Yang furrowed her brow slightly. "She... what's that mean?"

"Your time together helped her confidence, she found herself in various relationships over the years, but none ever felt right." Pyrrha explained. "She asked me if you had felt the same way."

Yang merely blinked. "I... wow... that's... good to hear about her confidence... She was always a shy one..."

"She seemed more frustrated than happy Yang." Pyrrha clarified, which caused her friend's gaze to fall again.

"Oh... I'm... sorry... I guess I felt similar... but you know for me it was never about if it was _right_... I probably could've stayed with any one of them..." Yang sadly explained, her shoulders slumping as her grip loosened enough for the pillow to fall from her grasp.

"I told her as much." Pyrrha added, before her own gaze fell slightly. "In fact... I feel I breached your privacy in educating her."

Sitting back up, Yang quickly shook her head. "No no, it's... it's alright. She deserves to know, they all do..."

As she looked back up, Pyrrha smiled a bit, before it faded. "She... was bitter, and unhappy. She had a false image of you in her head, and hearing her speak of you that way incensed me."

Yang nodded. "I get it. None of them should be happy with me anyway..."

Pyrrha frowned, letting out a disapproving huff, before shifting to kneel before her friend - which of course was met with a confused look. Grasping her by the shoulders and forcing her to make eye contact. The blonde merely stared unsure into stern green eyes. "Yang, you are my sister in all but blood, I love you as dear as my true family, and I say this with shame that I must be so harsh, but you need to grow a bloody backbone."

Yang managed a smile at the... request, so to speak. "I know... Kal said somethin' similar when I told her about all this, if a bit less _direct_... I just... wish it were so easy..."

Pyrrha's frown thankfully shifted to a smile upon hearing her friend's response. "I'm thankful we are on the same page. It's been at the back of my mind for years, I kept hoping you would come through yourself... but I feel life has made you too used to taking what it throws at you."

After a moment, Yang nodded slightly. "Yeah... that sounds about right."

"It's okay to feel these things, Yang. It's also okay to be angry, to feel slighted. If you allow her, Blake will walk all over you because she has righteous anger and you don't have the heart to fight back, but nothing good comes from being a doormat." Pyrrha stressed, reaching up to slide her hands to the blonde's cheeks, thumbing away the remaining moisture from her tears. "It's okay to be selfish, to take for yourself. You moved to another country because you love this woman, are you going to let that love be tarnished by past mistakes?"

Yang remained silent for a moment, wanting to look away from her friend out of shame, but knowing that she would not allow it. "_No_..."

Pyrrha offered a warm smile in response, moving to sit back upon the bed next to her friend. "Good. Now I know things may be difficult between you two for a while, but... I think it's time for you to tell Blake the truth about your past."

Lifting herself up off of the other woman, Yang almost scoffed. "What, that I couldn't handle not being good enough? You think Blake would accept that? _Oh woe is me_, it wasn't _me_, it was my _stupid insecurity_."

"The only way you two can mend your relationship is through the truth." Pyrrha pressed. "I understand that it will be tough, but it has to be done."

Yang took a few breaths, nodding with a sniffle. "I hope so."

Another brief silence followed, until Pyrrha took a deep breath of her own. "But... while we're on the subject of telling the truth... Yang, I must... admit something to you... Something that I believe that I should have..." Another deep breath. "Something that I should have told you long ago..."

Yang quickly raised a brow. "Don't make it sound so ominous, Pyr." She snickered a bit. "Wait, don't tell me. You're a serial killer, aren't you?"

Pyrrha managed an almost _nervous_ chuckle at the comment. "No, I'm not a serial killer. Be serious." She requested. "Anyway... for the past few months, I have..." She took another deep breath, which... sort of concerned the blonde. It had been a long time since Pyrrha had actually been _hesitant_ on sharing something with her. "I have been... dating... _your father_..."

Yang felt her mind go blank for a moment, her friend sitting stone-still beside her as the cogs turned in her head. Pyrrha, dating... her father... Taiyang... her dad, her best friend... _What_? "Like, romantic dating?"

Pyrrha simply nodded, swallowing. "That's right."

"Huh..." Yang struggled to picture... things that she would do with Kali... Nothing lewd of course. Gods no, she never wanted to go near _that_ subject, but... Pyrrha and Tai watching TV? Holding hands? "And... you're happy together?"

"Exceptionally." Pyrrha answered with a smile, and even a slight blush. "He is quite the gentleman, and I have been rather lonely throughout the last few years."

Yang remained silent for a moment as she still had to process the information. "Sometimes I thought maybe you stayed single to keep me company."

Pyrrha chuckled a bit. "As much as I would like to agree with you, the main reason I remained single for so many years... was due to not being able to find the right person."

Yang let out a breath. "Never would've expected it to be my _dad_ of all people."

"Neither did I, but the heart cannot help its desires." Pyrrha admitted. "The poor man has lost two loves of his life, and seen both his children move abroad."

"I mean, Rubes isn't _that_ far away." Yang commented.

Pyrrha just shrugged. "It's still quite a distance for his own daughter."

A brief pause followed, with both women merely stewing over what was just revealed. "So... how has he been doing, really?"

"I must admit, it was rough when you left, but since then he has gotten much better, especially within the past few months."

Yang just snickered, her lips spreading into a grin. "I can't imagine why." Even though the current situation was... relatively awkward to put it lightly, she was happy for them, and could not imagine a better woman for her admittedly lonely father.

The slight blush that tinted Pyrrha's cheeks only grew at the response. "I have done my best to help." Then her smile faltered. "But... I apologize for not telling you about us sooner..." She almost mumbled, her gaze falling. "There were so many time where I _wanted_ to tell you, where we _both_ did, but... neither of us could ever manage to do it."

_Boy doesn't that sound familiar_. "Well, I'll admit it's uh... it's a lot to take in, but I get it." Yang acknowledged, nodding. "I mean sure, I'm a little weirded out... Okay maybe a _lot_ weirded out... but I'm okay with it, and honestly, I can't imagine someone better for him."

Pyrrha remained silent for several seconds, seemingly processing her friend's answer, until a bright smile spread across her face as tears began to pool in her eyes. Yang was almost concerned for a moment before the redhead leaned forward to wrap her in a gentle yet firm hug, which of course was reciprocated. "_Thank you_..." Pyrrha near-whispered, unseen tears streaming down her cheeks as she tightened the hug.

Though her friend could not see it, Yang smiled. "No thanks needed, Pyr. Besides, what am I gonna do? Say you can't date him? You guys live a _continent_ away, I couldn't prevent you two from datin' even if I wanted to."

Pyrrha let out a soft chuckle in response. "I appreciate it greatly."

As the pair remained in their hug, enjoying the warmth that it brought, the smile that adorned Yang's face began to fade. _If only Blake would be this accepting... Wait a minute_. Upon thinking about her Faunus friend again, a certain realization hit her, something that likely should have done so _several_ minutes ago when Pyrrha revealed that she was in a relationship with her father. "So... since you're datin' my dad and all... am I supposed to call you _mom_ or somethin'?"

Pyrrha chuckled in response. "Oh heavens no, I'm not quite ready for that yet."

Yang let out a small chuckle of her own. "I didn't think I was ready for a lot of things, but it feels like every day less and less is phasing me."

Pyrrha raised a brow. "If I may, what phases you now?"

"I uh... I think I'm going through some kind of... _sexual reawakening_." Yang almost hesitantly answered. She and Pyrrha had shared so many things with one another in the past, but this... was a tad different.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Pyrrha wondered, of course. She was always the one to offer her ear to the blonde.

"I just... it feels weird, and it's a whole 'nother can of worms." Yang attempted to explain. "Like I thought I liked what I liked and now there's more than I'm used too, and Kal doesn't seem to mind at all." Then she took a breath. "Just a lot to handle, really."

Pyrrha furrowed her brow. "Could you explain? I'm not sure I understand."

Yang took another breath. "It's uh, it's Sienna. She's like, becoming a part of our life, and I like that, I like her, she's fun, and she loves Kali as much as I do."

"Ah, yes." Pyrrha acknowledged. "I had heard that she and Kali have been quite close for a long time, so it makes sense that she would grow close to you as well."

Yang smiled, mostly to herself as she thought about the past few months. "She's been so supportive of us, and Kal's been teasing me about her. Today she touched my back and..." Then she shuddered from the very recent memory. _"I'm so fuckin' hopeless."_

"So you have been developing feelings for her as well?" Pyrrha inquired.

Yang hesitantly nodded. _I can't believe I just admitted that_. "I'd feel bad if Kal wasn't so damn smug about it."

Pyrrha let out a soft chuckle. "I have noticed that she can be rather sly at times, which I must admit, is rather amusing coming from such a gentle soul."

"She's an angel... until the claws come out." Yang shuddered again. "_Gods I understand Ruby so well now."_

Pyrrha tilted her head slightly to look down at what the blonde realized was her back. "I suppose that explains what those marks on your body are."

Unfortunately, Yang could not stop a blush from tinting her cheeks as her friend kind of stared at the back of her sweater, likely thinking about what sort of marks could be underneath. "I, uh, s-stupid bush." She stammered.

Then Pyrrha grinned, which somewhat worried the other woman. "Oh, I did not realize Kali was one who preferred not to shave."

Yang merely blushed harder at the comment, snickering. "She trims, she's not evil."

"It's only polite to do so for one's partner. I myself prefer a simple stripe." Pyrrha explained, to which Yang grimaced a bit, causing her to grin again. "Are you aware if Sienna trims?"

"_No_!" Yang quickly denied, though she caught herself right after. "I mean, probably? I mean... _ugh_." She then proceeded to hide her face in her hands.

Pyrrha just giggled in response. "You know I kid, Yang. But that does beg the question, what do you plan to do about these growing feelings for Sienna?"

_Boy isn't that the burning question_. "I guess I'll just... see what happens. I trust Kali, I trust Sienna, and I'm happy being around them."

Pyrrha offered a smile. "That is good to hear." Then that smile shifted into a smirk. _Oh gods what now_? "And just so you know, I believe I caught Sienna staring at you once or twice during the party."

Yang just brought a hand up to run through her hair. "Yeah, she does that... Kinda makes me feel like a piece of meat sometimes."

Pyrrha quirked a brow at the response. "In what sort of way? If you don't mind my asking of course."

"Like... you know that burger place in Patch, on the boardwalk?" Yang inquired.

"With that horrid double bacon burger?" Pyrrha wondered.

Yang nodded. "Yeah. You remember how I'd look when I spotted the waitress coming."

"Oh, _that_ way."

Yang just chuckled a bit. "Yeah... Until very recently I hadn't thought of taking a dick that wasn't fake." And then she realized what she just said. _Oh my gods why did I just say that?_

"Oh, _oh_..." Pyrrha almost marveled. "So she is like-"

"_Yup_." Yang quickly informed, embarrassed to be even _mentioning_ Sienna's... _thing_.

"I... wow. That was certainly unexpected." Pyrrha admitted after a moment.

Yang could not help but chuckle at her friend's surprise. "Now you know how I feel when Kal told me." Pyrrha then opened her mouth to respond, but a knock on the bedroom door interrupted her. She turned to Yang briefly before they both shifted their gaze to the door. "Yeah?"

"It's me." Came Kali's soft voice from the other side.

"One moment." Pyrrha requested, looking back to her friend and smiling. "I believe that's my que to leave." She informed, leaving forward to wrap her in a gentle hug. "You need to make sure to call more."

Yang just choked a laugh. "I've always hated scroll calls."

Pyrrha tightened her hug a bit before releasing the blonde. "I know, but your father and I would greatly appreciate it."

As the other woman stood from the bed, Yang giggled. "Oh gods please don't start talking like that."

Pyrrha merely smiled, quite innocently. "Don't worry, I won't." She assured. "But speaking of that, if you could not tell Ruby about what we discussed regarding Taiyang and I for the time being, I would be most grateful. After all, I think we have all had enough excitement for one night, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah." Yang agreed before her friend made her way across the bedroom and opened the door, revealing a much calmer Kali.

"She's all yours." Pyrrha offered, briefly placing a hand on Kali's shoulder before exiting the bedroom.

As both Kali and Yang watched Pyrrha leave, Kali's gaze lingered. "You know, I always expected you would choose _her_ as a partner." She admitted, walking across the room to sit down next to her girlfriend.

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Yeah... honestly, the thought never really entered my mind."

After a moment of silence, Kali reached over to take the blonde's hands in her own, giving them a gentle squeeze. "More importantly, are you alright, sweetheart?"

Yang nodded, offering a smile to the older woman. "Not when I got in here, but as usual, Pyr helped me out."

"She has always been good for you." Kali observed, smiling brightly.

"Damn right she has." Yang agreed, to which her partner quickly raised a brow. "Sorry, _darn_ right she has."

"Good girl." Kali smiled, leaning over to peck Yang on the cheek.

Yang's cheeks immediately reddened at the comment. "I know I am."

Kali was silent for a moment, simply shifting her gaze downward to stare at the pair's connected hands, until she looked back up, straight into the blonde's lilac eyes. "Yang... I... I love you."

Yang just grinned. "Aw, love you too, Kal."

Kali shook her head a bit, gently squeezing her partner's hands. "No, I mean, I _love_ you."

"And I said, I _love_ you too." Yang repeated, giving Kali's hands a gentle squeeze of her own.

Kali merely blinked, not expecting such a genuine answer so quickly. Rather than responding, she simply met Yang in a slow, loving kiss.

* * *

Though far from the first time, Kali still felt deeply uncomfortable standing before her daughter's room like this - even though it was only the room that she and her fiancé were staying in for the next few days. It was almost like she was... _out of practice_ due to her being moved out for so many years.

After spending a few quiet minutes alone with Yang in their own bedroom, enjoying simple comforts, they decided it was time to move on, with the blonde retreating to their bathroom to clean herself up a little, and Kali heading upstairs to have a word with Blake. Something that she was not at all looking forward to, _especially_ after her initial reaction at dinner. Unfortunately, it had to be done. Not just for her own sake, but for Yang's. Her partner, her love, her bonded. She understood Blake's ire, she really did, but just because it was understandable, did _not_ mean it was acceptable.

So, taking a deep breath, Kali slowly reached up to provide a few soft knocks upon the guest bedroom door. A few moments later, that door opened, almost hesitantly, revealing a rather downcast Ruby, whose silver eyes widened slightly at the sight of the older woman, likely worried that she was there to reprimand her fiancé again. Kali just softly smiled instead, hoping to show that she was there for a different, less unpleasant reason.

"Hello, dear." She greeted. "If it is alright with you, may I speak with Blake, alone, please?"

Ruby did not answer immediately, instead only shifting awkwardly in place. "Is... Is Yang okay?"

Kali nodded. "She will be returning to the party shortly."

"That's good..." Ruby mumbled to herself, before taking a step forward to meet the older woman in a gentle hug. "_And... Blake's really sorry for what she said earlier_..." She whispered after a moment.

Kali merely smiled, wrapping her arms around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her in close. _"I know, dear. Thank you for being there for her when she needed you."_

Ruby offered a small, half-hearted smile of her own as the two separated. "_It's what I'm here for, mom_." She acknowledged, giving a final slight nod before taking her leave and heading downstairs.

Once her soon-to-be daughter-in-law was gone, Kali stepped into the guest bedroom - lit only by the bedside lamp - gently closing the door behind her. What lied within was a sight that she unfortunately already somewhat expected, but one that still made her heart sink. Curled up on the double bed with her back to the older woman was her daughter, looking much... _smaller_ than she had at dinner, as if all of the anger that she previously held was gone. At least, that was Kali's hope. She did not want there to be any more yelling or screaming or anything else of the sort on _Solstice_... This was supposed to be a day that was dedicated to being with family, something that none of them were really able to do very often, so thinking about the fact that an interaction so... _hostile_ even _occurred_ in the first place... It made her want to break down and cry again. But now was not the time for that. Now was the time for _solving_ issues.

"Blake?" Kali softly called, to which the only reaction she saw was the subtle flick of her daughter's feline ears. _Kitten_... Slowly making her way farther into the room, she almost hesitantly sat at the opposite edge of the bed, once again seeing no response, at least for a few moments.

"Yang's scent." Blake suddenly mumbled, remaining turned away from her mother.

"Hmm?"

"It's weak, in here, I was confused... now I understand." Blake continued.

"It has been a couple of months since Yang slept in here..." Kali admitted after a moment. "I did not consider her scent."

"So she... _sleeps with you... every day_..."

Kali nodded, instinctively, since it went unseen. "Every night, yes. Yang is often too impatient for day napping."

"But why... Why _her_...?" Blake questioned, her voice low, and weak.

"Why not?" Kali wondered, attempting to get her daughter to voice her thoughts.

Surprisingly, Blake actually turned enough to be able to make eye contact with the older Faunus. "You know what she was like in school... didn't that _worry_ you?"

"_Was_, being the key word, Blake." Kali stressed. "People change, they live, they learn and they grow. The Yang you knew in school is little more than a shadow, clinging to her memory."

Slowly raising into a sitting position, Blake brought her knees to her chest, chin resting on her arms as she stared across the room. "So... _why didn't you tell me?"_

"Because Yang wasn't ready, Blake." Kali answered.

Upon hearing the response, Blake's gaze snapped to her mother, a mix of anger and shame in her golden eyes. "And you thought I _was_ ready to hear you two have been dating for _months?"_

"Would you _ever_ have been ready?" Kali inquired, wanting to move closer to Blake, but knowing this process needed to be slow. "Do you believe there were any circumstances where you would happily accept us?"

Blake's gaze immediately fell. "I... _I don't know_... My whole mind is just... a mess... I don't know what to think anymore..."

"Then speak to me Blake." Kali pled, instinctively shifting farther onto the bed. "Tell me what enters your mind, and let us discuss this as adults. This anger, this hatred in your voice, it is _not_ that of my daughter, I raised you better than that."

A brief silence followed, with Blake merely staring down at the bed upon which she sat. "_Dad's death still hurts_..." She finally near-whimpered. "_And... I still feel like I never lived up to his hopes for me, that I never called enough, never visited enough... I feel like... I wasn't there enough... for either of you_..."

"It was difficult, seeing you leave our home, and we did miss you terribly." Kali admitted. "But we understood your desire for independence, to make your own way through life."

Blake just remained still, taking a shaky breath. "But... I should've visited more... You're my parents for gods sake... and it wasn't even me who was there for you after the funeral... it was _Yang_... Then she just happened to move in afterwards... I tried so hard not to think it was malicious... but I couldn't... Not after everything I'd seen..."

Moving closer to her daughter, Kali placed a hand upon her shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. "She never once made her feelings clear to me, Blake. She kept them secret to all but one, and you know what Sienna is like."

Blake nodded slightly. "Yeah... but I just... All those jokes she made... about dating people after breakups _'cause they're easy_... or how she's always wanted to jump into bed with a _milf_... Deep down I knew they were just jokes, but... I could never get it out of my head that she might do the same with you..."

"Young and foolish, and keeping up a front." Kali assured. "We have all experienced this, even you, Blake, need I remind you."

Blake then hesitantly lifted her head, turning towards her mother. "So then... what have you... _done_ with her...? How does she treat you...?"

"I have _done_ as any loving partner would, and I do love her, Blake." Kali answered, offering a small smile. "She has treated me with nothing less than utter devotion since stepping foot in our home, that has not changed as the years went by."

Blake's gaze fell once again at the response. "So... she does exactly what dad did..."

Though her daughter was not looking, Kali shook her head. "She is physically incapable of doing _exactly_ as Ghira could."

"I meant as your _partner_, mom, not... _like that_..." Blake cringed, to which the older woman could not help but smirk a bit. _Well I suppose that is one of their physical differences._

"Speak plainly. Blake." Kali requested after managing her smirk. "Yes, she helps take care of our home, assists me in cooking, we share kisses liberally, she has given her body to me several times, and sleeps by my side every night, just as Ruby does for you."

Another silence followed, but this one was longer, lasting several minutes. There were several times where Kali wanted to speak, but she decided to let Blake process her thoughts. "I'm... I'm sorry, mom..." The younger Faunus finally mumbled.

Kali immediately offered a smile, shifting across the bed to sit next to her daughter, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I accept your apology, Blake, on the condition that you speak with Yang after this, and _listen_ to all she has to say."

After a moment, Blake nodded slightly. "_Okay_..."

Reaching up, Kali gently gripped her daughter's cheek, turning her head so their eyes met. "Your father was proud of you, Blake, even at your worst." She promised. "He loved you, and hoped for a better tomorrow. Your separation from Adam, the family you found with Ruby and Yang, bringing them home to us? It made him happier than I had ever seen. Your happiness was his only want for you."

As she struggled to continue meeting her mother's gaze, tears began to pool in Blake's eyes. "How could you say that... when I _left_ you after his funeral?"

Kali then merely pulled the younger Faunus into a hug. "You were mourning, Blake, I do not blame you for that. I had Yang, I had Sienna, and I knew Ruby would take care of you, to the best of her ability."

"And you _weren't_?" Blake questioned, almost hesitantly wrapping her arms around Kali's torso. "You just lost your husband... and your only daughter left because she had _work_..."

"My only _blood_ daughter, left because she could not bear to break." Kali corrected. "Because you're stubborn, just like your father, you did not want to burden me with your grief."

"That doesn't make it not selfish..." Blake mumbled.

"We are entitled to our grief, Blake, and you did not leave me alone." Kali assured, reaching up to begin softly rubbing the back her daughter's head.

"But I _did_..." Blake almost whimpered. "The only reason you weren't alone was because _Yang_ decided to stay... instead of me..."

"And Yang was exactly who I needed in my time of mourning." Kali soothed, continuing to rub the younger Faunus' head. "Yang was patient, calm, and joyful. She gave me peace when I wanted it, company when I sought it, and distraction when I needed it. Do you really believe we would have healed, moping around that big empty house together?"

After a moment of silence, Bake merely let out a light sigh into her mother's chest. _"I guess not..."_

* * *

Once Yang was finished reapplying the small amount of lilac eye shadow that had partially rubbed off while she was crying, it was finally time to return to the party. Though as she exited her room and made her way down the small hallway, she found her sister slowly descending the stairs. Upon noticing her, Ruby offered a small, somewhat awkward smile as the two met up at the bottom.

"Hey Rubes..." Yang almost nervously greeted, knowing that she had just returned from being with Blake. The blonde felt the need to ask a number of questions, as she was worried about her friend - even though she was yelling at her not half an hour ago - but decided against all but one in the end, not wanting to overwhelm her sister. "How... How's Blake?"

"She's... not angry?" Ruby answered with a shrug. "She told me she was sorry, and she's been trying not to bother anyone, but she lost control tonight... We talked a little more about that, cuddled for a bit, and then Kali came to talk to her. So I came here."

Yang let out a small sigh of relief at the news. _At least she's not angry anymore_... She thought to herself, before a sudden realization hit her. Over the course of dinner, while Blake... _reacted_ to the news, so to speak, Ruby had elected to remain silent. Which made Yang wonder. "So uh... you were pretty quiet back there, Rubes. What did you think of, well, Kal and me?"

Ruby just shrugged in response. "I mean, it's kinda weird if I'm being honest - You datin' a woman who's not only older than dad... I think, but like a second mom to us, but I say live and let live. I love you, and I love Kali just like I did mom, and if you're happy together, I don't mind."

Yang could not help but grin like an idiot upon hearing that. Earlier in the day, she had been _quite_ worried over whether or not her sister would accept her relationship with Kali, but actually _hearing_ that acceptance come out... meant more than her sister could ever know. Yang opened her mouth several times, attempting to find the words to respond, but nothing came out. So she merely took a step forward and wrapped her sister in a strong hug. "Thanks, Rubes..." She eventually managed after a few moments.

Reciprocating the hug, Ruby smiled, even though it went unseen. "No thanks needed, big sis." She assured, releasing the blonde. "Now come on, you've got a Solstice party to host."

Yang chuckled a bit as the pair began making their way through the kitchen toward the living room, where the others were currently making casual conversation. It seemed that everything from dinner had already been cleaned up. "I mean, technically Kal's the host, but I guess I could take over for a bit."

And so, the two sisters returned to the party, though not without having some attention drawn to them. After sitting down on one of the couches to join in on the previous-summer-centered discussion, certain people - specifically Tai and Sienna - wasted no time in asking Yang if she was alright... Even though Pyrrha quickly added that she had already told them after returning herself. But of course, her father and friend wanted to be _completely certain_, as Sienna put it. So, once all that was cleared up and Yang had successfully _convinced_ everyone that she was okay, it was back to normal conversation. At least, that was the idea. Since her and Kali's relationship was finally out in the open and things had settled down, people began to get curious, which of course led them to asking their fair share of questions. _How did you two get together? Who else knows? What was your first kiss like? What are your future plans_? It was a bit overwhelming at first, but luckily tame, as Sienna thankfully keeping her mouth shut. She was already well versed on the... _risqué_ particulars of their relationship anyway.

As Yang did her best to answer all the incoming questions, the sound of a clearing throat was heard, drawing everyone's attention toward the kitchen, where Kali stood next to a rather timid-looking Blake. Upon seeing the latter, the casual chatter unintentionally died down as expression in the group became... _uncertain_.

Nervously turning to her mother, who offered a reassuring smile and nod, Blake almost hesitantly made her way over to the couch where the blonde was currently sitting. "Hey, can we... talk... alone, for a minute?" She wondered, unable to keep complete eye contact as she spoke.

Yang merely blinked, not expecting the sudden request, especially so soon after the other woman's outburst. "Oh, uh, s-sure, no problem." She managed after a moment, raising from the couch to meet her friend. "You wanna... head into the laundry room or somethin'?" Yang hoped that Blake would appreciate the suggestion of a _neutral room_, so to speak, without any kind of... _reminders_ of things from earlier in the evening. Her friend only nodded in response, allowing her to take the lead as the pair headed away from the others and into the laundry room, softly closing the door behind them. Thankfully there were no dirty clothes or underwear currently in there. Once the door was shut, Yang hopped up onto the dryer, offering an awkward - but hopefully warm enough - smile, patting the spot next to her, aiming to make this interaction as friendly and casual as physically possible. It seemed to actually work, or at least it appeared that way. Meeting the smile with a small one of her own, Blake slowly lifted herself up onto the dryer next to Yang. Though unfortunately, what followed was a brief period of quite awkward silence, as the two merely sat upon the machine, neither saying a word as they stared forward, until the feline Faunus took a deep breath.

"I'm... sorry, for everything." Blake almost mumbled, golden eyes unable to meet her friend's lilac ones as her feline ears drooped. "I didn't mean to be so harsh, and I don't want to make excuses..." She let out a small sigh. "I just haven't been... I haven't felt... _right_, or in control... not since the funeral." Then her lip quivered, fresh tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I've been trying to keep it to myself, trying to get over it, but I couldn't... And then tonight happened... a-and I wasn't ready for it, and I know that's not your fault-"

Before she could finish, Yang interrupted her friend by reaching up pulling her into a tight hug, stunning the other woman. "It's okay, Blake." She promised, voice strained with tears of her own. "It's all gonna be okay."

Though her friend could not see it, Blake's gaze fell, her feline ears drooping as she hesitantly returned the hug. "I've... I've been such a bitch."

"It happens to the best of us, Blakey." Yang assured.

Blake was silent for a time, merely resting her head upon the blonde's shoulder. "I've... been trying to wrangle my feelings, to be the strong Alpha that Ruby needs... but it hasn't been working since dad died..." She sniffled. "She's been trying to push me to open up... but I've only brushed it off... like an idiot... I'm ashamed I can't handle this... Dad could've handled it..."

"Your dad wasn't perfect, Blake. He hurt like anyone else." Yang pulled back, just enough to meet her friend's teary gaze. "He knew when to talk to others about how he was feeling, and let them help."

Unable to maintain eye contact, Blake turned away. "I know, but... I should be able to handle shit like this... I'm supposed to be an _Alpha_ for fuck sake..."

"Being an Alpha doesn't sit you in some role you have to fill, Blake." Yang countered, reaching up to gently force her friend to look at her. "You're a person, you're hurting, and that's okay. It's okay to hurt Blake."

Even though Yang was holding her face, Blake's gaze fell once again. "I just wish it didn't hurt so _badly_..."

"It hurts worse when you fight it." Yang reminded. "Trust me, I know."

A brief silence followed as the two merely remained in each other's arms. "Did... you feel like this after your mom passed?"

"Honestly, I don't really remember what I felt anymore." Yang shrugged as she released her friend. "I only sorta understood what really happened, but I _did_ understand that Ruby didn't, and that dad wasn't really able to help."

Another brief silence. "I'm... sorry you had to go through that alone..."

Yang just offered a smile. "But I wasn't alone. I had Ruby. Taking care of her, making her happy, it made me happy." She explained. _Back when I was her 'big sis'_. "And for years on that's all that ever mattered. I never really had aspirations or dreams 'cause all I wanted was for Ruby to be happy and safe. It kept me focused, distracted, helped me cope with dad checking out. Then we met you."

Blake's gaze immediately fell upon hearing that last part. _"And I took your sister away from you..."_

"You made her happy, Blake." Yang corrected. "You made her happier than I'd ever seen, and I knew that I'd done all I could, that it was time to let go. I knew that you would take care of her." She smiled. "Plus, I could finally breath a little, stretch my legs, fall head first into a bunch of mistakes. Y'know, be a dumb teenager."

_"Is... Is that why you got into all those relationships...?"_

Yang nodded a bit. "Yeah... I mean, I wasn't really expecting things to go the way they did, but... I was lonely."

"So then... Why..." Blake started, but turning away briefly in what appeared to be shame. A moment later, she turned back, staring right into the blonde's lilac eyes. "Why did you dump every one of them?"

Yang sighed deeply, reaching up to fiddle with the ends of her hair. "I... never felt good enough, for any of them."

Blake merely blinked in response. "You... You didn't?"

"I didn't know why I felt the way I did at first, I thought I was just... I thought I was just scared, that I didn't know what to do in a relationship." Yang attempted to explain, though to not as much success as she would have wanted - at least in her opinion. Thankfully her friend seemed to understand.

"But... Why didn't you come talk to me? Or Pyrrha?" Blake inquired. "You know either of us would've helped you in a heartbeat."

Yang just shrugged. "You had Ruby, I didn't wanna be a burden, and Pyrrha..." Then her gaze fell slightly. "She eventually figured me out... after Coco."

"I still would have helped you, Yang... We're best friends..." Blake attempted to assure.

Yang managed a smile at her friend's response. "I know, Blake, it's why I trusted you with Rubes. She's a handful I know, and you deserved time to yourselves."

Another brief silence followed. "Is that why you acted like everything was okay after each breakup?"

Yang let out a sigh. "It was easier to keep up appearances, I didn't want Ruby to see me like that."

"See you... like _what_?" Blake hesitantly wondered.

"Crying like a baby, wailing on punching bags, listening to depressing music with a big block of chocolate... _moping_." Yang sadly explained. "The last thing I wanted was to turn into dad."

Blake remained quiet for a moment. "So then.. the whole _bedhopper of Beacon_ image... _jumping from one partner to the next without a care_ was... a cover?"

Yang shrugged again. "Kinda? I guess, it's not like I came up with it, but it had a better ring to it than _slut_, or _heart-breaker_, so I thought myself lucky... and somehow people still kept liking me."

Another moment of somewhat awkward silence. "I... might have had a hand in that..." Blake admitted.

Yang blinked. _Wait_. "Huh?"

"There were times where... my friends and I spoke about you, and... I tried my best to defend you when they brought up your habits... But..." Blake tried to explain, before looking away in what appeared to be shame. "That caused some of them to want to... _fix_ you..."

_Well, guess that explains some of their sudden interests in me_. "Thanks, Blake."

Blake's gaze only fell at her friend's response. "I'm sorry..."

Yang attempted to offer a smile. "I'm sorry too, I'm sorry I didn't come clean, and... I'm sorry I slept with your friends."

Blake met her friend's smile with a small one of her own. "It's okay, Yang. I could tell they enjoyed being with you... Even if I had to hear it through sex stories..."

"I learned a lot from them." Yang mentioned, reminiscing a bit. "I was always anxious things would turn out the same, so I always tried my best anyway, like maybe it wouldn't happen this time..."

"And what about... your _current_ relationship?" Blake wondered.

Yang just smiled bashfully, a dopey grin stretching across her face. "I've never felt like this before, at least not like... _this_. It's a little bit like when I was still taking care of Ruby, except... _more_, and y'know... _different_, obviously." _Man that was a weird comparison_. "It's not just me, it's _us_, giving and taking. I make her happy, she makes me happy. We're... _comfortable_. I feel useful here, I feel like I belong, and Kali makes me feel like I deserve it all."

Blake could not help but smile at her friend's somewhat giddy excitement. "I'm glad you're happy, Yang, and... I'm sorry again that I judged you so quickly."

"I understand, Blake." Yang acknowledge with a smile. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner... This is all so... _new."_

Blake only shook her head. "No, it's... it's okay. I get why you didn't. And... while we're being completely honest... I'm not going to suddenly be one hundred percent _on board_ with you dating my mom, but... I can see how much you care about each other."

Yang chuckled a bit in response. "I wasn't expecting you to, you know, jump right into calling me _mom_ or anything..." Then she paused, thinking about the implications of that. "Actually, gods don't ever do that please, it'll make me go grey."

Blake let out a chuckle of her own. "If that counts as teasing, I can't promise I won't."

"Ugh, well it's not like I can hit back..." Yang answered. _Unless I want her to kill me of course_. "I uh, I promise I'll try my best to not tease you about Kal and I, 'cause as far as I'm concerned we're still sisters."

"Good, because if you do, I'll send you one of the many videos I have of Rubes and I having sex." Blake threatened, a sly grin spreading across her face.

_And I didn't need to know they film themselves in the bedroom_. "_Okay_, point taken."

"I'll even let you pick what kind you want." Blake added.

_They've filmed enough to have categories? What happened to my innocent baby sister_? _"Point taken, Blake."_

Once Blake was finished laughing, the pair then fell into silence once more. It was a tad awkward, just sitting there on the dryer, until a thought popped into Yang's head. Well, it was more of a.,.. _realization_ about their current situation. Even years ago, their family was weird, but now with the semi-recent couples, there was so much weird going on. Their relationships were all over the place. One of her best friends was going to be her _step-mom_, while the other was going to be her _step-daughter_, along with her sister also becoming her step-daughter. Which... would also technically make Kali _Blake's_ sister-in-law... _What is my life right now_? Someday someone was going to look back on their relationships and be so confused about who was what. It caused Yang to start laughing, which only served to confuse her friend.

"What are you laughing at?" Blake wondered, unable to keep herself from snickering a bit.

"Our family tree is gonna look so fucked down the line." Yang mentioned after a few moments through her laugh.

Blake just rolled her eyes at the answer. "You have only yourself to blame for your sister essentially becoming your step-daughter."

"Don't act like your mom's innocent in all this!" Yang defended once she had calmed down. "You've _seen_ what she wears." _And that's not even the half of it_...

"You merely fell for the Belladonna charm, much like your new step-daughter." Blake grinned.

That answer caused Yang to realize something else. "Oh gods, I'm gonna be a grandmother..."

"Hmm, that explains the grey hairs." Blake commented, getting up off of the dryer to leave.

Yang just blinked. "What...? Blake, what? Where? Blake, where are you going?"

"Back to the party, _old lady_." Blake answered with a smirk, slowing backing up towards the door.

"I'm younger than you!" Yang defended. _Only by a few months, but it still counts!_

"That sagging chest says otherwise." Blake shot, gesturing to her friend's breasts.

Yang gasped at the accusation, wrapping her arms around her chest. "You leave the girls alone! They work really hard!"

Blake's smirk did not even falter. "Not hard enough it seems."

Yang immediately tightened her self-hug around her chest, bending over a bit to almost snuggle them. "Don't listen to her girls, you're beautiful and I appreciate you. Blakey's just jealous 'cause Ruby's got muffin tiddies."

Blake just rolled her eyes. "They may not be as _monstrous_ as yours, but my shaft fits between them _just fine_."

Upon processing what her friend just, Yang quickly reached up to cover her ears. _Oh my gods I wish I could un-hear that_. "I don't wanna hear anything about your _shaft_ in relation to my sister's muffins!"

Blake then stepped closer to the blonde, prying one of her hands away from over her ear and leaning in close. "And when I'm finished, they get _covered_. Well, at least when it's not on her pretty little face."

Yang cringed in response. _My ears_... "You're evil."

Blake merely grinned. "I know." She acknowledged, turning around to open the laundry room door and exiting, leaving her friend alone for a few moments, until she decided to add one thing from the hallway before actually heading back to the party.

"Seven years, Yang!"

* * *

**Author's Note**: Stay tuned for "Part 4: Family"! Coming later tonight!

Beta-read by our buddy, Gorsouul.  
Go check him out!

And as always, your feedback fuels us!


	4. Part 4: Family

**Author's Note**: Alright! Here we are with part 4 of this Holiday-themed one-shot! (technically)

It's finally done!

As always, we really hope you all enjoy!

* * *

After everything that had happened over the last couple hours, it was a rather odd feeling to be able to normally return to the Solstice party.

By the time Yang and Blake had returned from their talk, the others were just getting dessert out, and... there was certainly more than they expected. Shortbread, Tai's gingerbread cookies, fudge squares, lemon squares, truffles, pavlova, rum balls, and a rather large pie. It was... a lot, for the amount of people there. In fact, there was so much there that the first comment out of Weiss' mouth was how they were likely going to have trouble finishing it all. Which was a bit ironic, considering Yang, Ruby _and_ Tai were all in the room. Even Weiss herself had proven that she had quite the sweet tooth for certain treats, thanks to her exposure to this admittedly wacky family. It had actually led to some rather amusing stories in the past. One such story had spawned from an instance of revenge, some months prior. Weiss had gone home early after a rather late shift the previous day, and by the time Ilia herself had returned, she found her girlfriend curled up on the couch, eating an _entire_ chocolate cake, smearing her cheeks like a greedy child. It was _the most fucking adorable thing I had ever seen in my entire life_, or so Ilia put it when she first told the story. The best part? _She got pictures_, though not without being caught. Upon seeing her partner snapping photos of her in such a compromising state, Weiss proceeded to practically chase her around their mansion, attempting to ensure said photos were deleted. Unfortunately for her, she was unsuccessful, as Ilia was able to distribute those pictures to not only Blake, but Ruby and Yang as well before her scroll was finally taken... and they had sex.

Though of course, when Yang received those images from her friend, she _immediately_ made one of them Weiss' contact picture on her scroll - a perfect _money shot_, so to speak, of the woman's _deer in the headlights_ expression as she noticed her photographer - which infuriated her to this day. Something about seeing Weiss' flabbergasted, chocolate-covered face every single time they texted or spoke over their scrolls brought a huge smile to Yang's face.

Once dessert had been consumed- Well, more like once everyone was unable to eat any more of it, it was time to exchange presents. Which, by absolutely _no one's_ surprise, Ruby was extremely excited for. So much so that she was the first one finished her dessert by nearly twenty minutes, practically bouncing in her seat in anticipation as she waited for the others. Like a child on her birthday. So, after all the dishes had been cleaned up, everyone gathered in the living area, each of them with a number of colourfully-wrapped boxes. Looking around at all the gifts of varying sizes, Yang had to admit, she was rather excited as well.

Up first by way of volunteering was Qrow, as he handed out skinny boxes to each person - all of them wrapped rather... childlike. Except for Yang and Ruby, who received a couple that were more... _regular_-sized, so to speak. Upon opening them, everyone found their favourite alcohol. Menagerien sake for Sienna, vodka for Weiss, a pack of her favourite craft beer for Yang, and so on and so forth. Even Ruby got a pack of the only alcohol she really drank: apple cider. It was... actually really nice. Qrow was normally the type of family member that gave money for presents, so to receive something so personal from him was a welcome surprise. _It's a Solstice miracle._

Up next was Pyrrha, giving everyone a small bag, no larger than Yang's own hand. _It's gonna be jewelry, it's gonna be jewelry, it's gonna be jewelry- Aha! I knew it_! The blonde thought to herself as she pulled the tissue paper out of the bag, revealing a beautiful silver necklace with a yellow _Y_ charm at the end of it. _Wow_...

"This craftsmanship is indescribable..." Kali marveled, admiring the necklace in her own had, similar to the one Yang got in all aspects but one; the charm at the end was a black _K_. In fact, all who received necklaces had the first letter of their name as the charms. A bright red _R_ for Ruby, and a frosty white _W_ for Weiss. Then as for the others, Blake was Ilia received silver bracelets with similar coloured letters - a black _B_ and a light yellow _I_, respectively - since neither of them were huge fans of necklaces. As for the reasoning... Yang was unsure if it was actually true or not, but she once heard from Blake that Ilia did not like them because _the only things she wants around her neck are Weiss' hands_, or so her friend described. Meanwhile, the boys got key chains of their own letters. A golden _T_ for Tai, and a crimson _Q_ for Qrow. "Did you have these custom made?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I actually made them myself." Which caused a few rather shocked expressions around the room. "I got into metallurgy some time ago, but I did not want to share it until I had made something worth showing off." Then she offered a warm smile. "So I hope you all like your gifts."

"You kiddin' me, Pyr? These are awesome!" Yang burst, quickly turning to her girlfriend - who was sitting next to her on the love seat - and holding out the necklace. "Put mine on me, Kal!" To which the woman in question merely raised a brow, causing her to calm down a bit. "Sorry, _please_ put mine on me."

Kali chuckled softly in response, likely at the fact that even after over a year, she could _still_ not teach her manners on the first try. "Of course, dear." Taking the necklace, she unclipped the latch as she placed it around the blonde's neck, moving her short hair out of the way before re-clipping it. "You look beautiful." She smiled upon admiring her partner, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on the side of her head, causing the younger woman's cheeks to heat up.

After everyone was done thanking and hugging Pyrrha for the amazing gifts, Tai volunteered to go next with what were certainly the largest boxes so far. _Guess those explain why he was late_. "So, just like Pyr, I made all these myself, so I hope you like 'em." Tai mentioned as the others began to open their presents, revealing a handmade wooden creation within each one, eliciting several small gasps. Inside Yang's was a beautifully-crafted Mistrali dragon statuette - that was over half a foot wide - and Kali's a tea tray, which included a burned-in _Belladonna_ along the top, and carved-out spaces for cups, a tea pot and even sugar. Over on the other couch, Weiss and Ilia received another statuette - around the same size as Yang's - of a sleeping dog. Or more specifically, a sleeping _Zwei_, who had been the Rose-Xiao Long family dog for many years, and Weiss' favourite part about visiting their home. It was amusing really, a woman was... _proper_ as Weiss, being so affectionate toward an animal like Zwei. Next to them, Ruby and Blake pulled a wooden clock from their box, designed in such a way to resemble a combination of the two _emblems_ that Ruby had made them - as well as everyone else - a number of years ago. Finally, seated across the coffee table on the floor was Pyrrha and Qrow, receiving a statuette of a pregnant woman, clad in a shawl of leaves, and a wooden can holder with a burned-in _Branwen_ around the side, respectively. Tai also mentioned how his actually gift - which was a wine rack - was already back in Vale. Now, as beautiful as the statuette was, it also made Yang a _tad_ uncomfortable with the newfound knowledge of Pyrrha and Tai's relationship. _I really hope there's no further meaning to that. I'm not ready for another sister._

"This is amazing, dad..." Ruby marveled, admiring the clock that she and her fiancé were holding between them. Then her brow furrowed, seemingly noticing something else within the box as she went to place it onto the carpet. Letting Blake hold their gift, she reached into the should-have-been-empty box and pulled out a folded piece of paper, reading _IOU_. "What's this?"

Tai just smiled. "Just a little something extra. Go on and open it, Rubes."

Opening the paper, Ruby took a moment to read what appeared to be written on the inside, before her eyes widened, quickly turning back to her father. "You made us a crib?!" She gasped. "But we just told everyone today!"

Tai said nothing in response, merely looking over at his secret girlfriend - at least to everyone else in the room but his eldest daughter - who giggled a bit.

"I _may_ have spoken to Taiyang after you came to me asking for advice." Pyrrha admitted.

"_Pyrrha_! That was supposed to be a secret!" Ruby whined, crumpling up the paper and throwing it at the redhead.

Easily catching the projectile, Pyrrha smiled, bowing her head slightly. "My apologies, Ruby. I could not help myself." Her friend just crossed her arms and pouted, like a grumpy child. It elicited several chuckles from around the room.

Next up was Kali, who, much like Pyrrha and Tai, had her presents handmade. Handing out a set of differently-sized and excellently-wrapped gifts, she watched with glee as they were opened. Even Yang was excited to see everyone else open them, as she knew exactly what each contained. For the two other couples, a matching set of knitted scarves, each embroidered with each of their _emblems_. For Tai, a set of 'fun' ties from Trifa's, Qrow a handcrafted belt - complete with a _Branwen_ buckle - Pyrrha a pair of wool slippers, and Sienna a pair of new, custom-made sandals, also from Trifa's. The best part was seeing how happy everyone was with what they had gotten. After another round of _thank you's_ and hugs, Kali, rather than sitting back down for the next person to give out their gifts, headed out of the room with a small grin on her face. It was... a bit confusing, especially since it was not to visit the bathroom, rather... the _laundry_ room?

A few moments later, Kali returned with another fair-sized gift in her arms, smiling brightly as she approached the couch where Yang and Sienna currently sat and placed it upon the former's lap. "Happy Solstice, my Little Dragon." She wished, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of the blonde's head before taking a seat next to her.

Yang just blinked at the present before her, dumbfounded at its very existence. She then turned to her girlfriend, expression full of surprise. "But... I thought I already got my Solstice gift..." _And good gods what a gift it was..._

Kali let out a soft chuckle at the younger woman's confusion. "I don't recall ever saying that was what I was getting you for Solstice, Yang."

_Well, she's not wrong_. "I mean, I know, but..." Yang began, trailing off as she looked down at the box in her lap. "I didn't get _you_ anything..."

"Nonsense." Kali asserted, reaching up to gently take hold of the blonde's cheek and turning her so that their eyes met. "Your unconditional love is the only Solstice gift I could ever need." Which of course caused her partner's cheeks to heat up as she sat back. "Now go on, open it."

Almost carefully tearing the wrapping paper from the present, Yang removed the lid from the cardboard box it covered and immediately gasped. What lied within it... was a yukata... Just like the ones Kali owned... White base with gorgeous yellow flower designs covering the fabric, complete with a deep purple sash... It was... "_It's beautiful_..." Yang managed after a few moments of staring into the box. She had wanted a yukata of her own for a long time, even before moving in with her now-girlfriend, and seeing her in them each time she visited... She looked so incredibly stunning... Yang had always been curious whether or not she herself would look in one... She could feel tears beginning to pool in her eyes as she turned to face Kali. _"Thank you... so much..."_

Kali merely smiled. "A beautiful yukata, custom-made by Trifa, for a beautiful, young woman. My love." She declared, reaching up again to take gentle hold of her partner's cheek before leaning in to plant a soft kiss upon her lips.

"Oh, get a room why don't you." Weiss commented, rolling her eyes at the public display of affection.

Kali just chuckled again in response, leaning back to sit normally. "My apologies, Weiss. Would you like to go next?"

Briefly looking over at the pile of gifts that she and Ilia brought - which if Yang counted correctly, was missing a couple - Weiss shook her head. "I think I will go last, if that's alright with everyone."

"That means it's our turn!" Ruby excitedly declared, jumping off of the couch to collect the strangely equally-sized presents off the floor next to them and passing them around. "Hope you like 'em!" She wished as the others began to unwrap the gifts.

_This thing is strangely heavy for a gift this size..._ Yang thought to herself as she tore the wrapping paper from what she thought was a box. _Watch it be a book or someth- Oh my gods it's actually a book_. Tossing the wrapping paper aside into the _garbage pile_, she observed the novel that she - and it seemed everyone else - had received. _The Ritual of Carmine_, written by... _Blake Belladonna_...

_And I should've known..._

"Surprise!" Ruby burst, a goofy grin on her face as everyone else looked to her, expressions that of slight dissatisfaction.

"_Really_?" Weiss deadpanned. "You couldn't think of _any_ other gift ideas, so you decided to give us Blake's smut book?"

"_Hey_. I resent that." Blake defended.

"Am I incorrect?"

Blake was silent for a moment. "Not important. Weiss, I believe it's your turn." Which caused the rest of the room to erupt in laughter. Though to be fair, that book that she had written was relatively close to what could be described as a _smut book_. If Yang remembered correctly, it was something about vampires and rituals that involved a lot of kinky sex. She was not sure honestly. When Blake lent her a copy the first time, she was not able to make it through more than a few chapters. Nothing against the writing of course, her friend was a great writer, it was just... The subject matter was not normally one Yang found herself enjoying. _Guess that means I'm not a 'woman of culture' as Blake says._

Once the laughter died down, and the Atlas couple began handing out their gifts, Yang felt a buzz in her pocket, causing her brow to furrow. Who would be texting her at a time like this? On _Solstice day_? Quickly sliding the device from her pocket, she discretely checked her messages, finding a text from... _Blake_? Looking over at the other couch, she found the woman in question simply watching her. _Oh gods I've got a bad feeling about this_. Hesitantly opening the message, she saw that it was a single line.

_Certain parts of my book are based on real events._

Yang just deleted the message before sliding her scroll back into her pocket, having absolutely _no_ desire to ever be reminded of _that_ again. Upon looking back up, she found her friend merely grinning at her. Like the cheeky shit she was.

"Well, considering both of us have little in the way of creative skills, we figured that we would focus on practicality for your gifts. Things that will most certainly get a lot of use." Weiss explained once most people had boxes in front of them. "And before you ask; no, we did not forget about you, Yang. Your gift was simply... a tad difficult to wrap, so we will save it for last."

_Too difficult to wrap? Just what the hell did she get me?_

"Now, to accommodate for all of your... _enthusiastic_ embraces, I would like to do these one by one." Weiss continued. "How about... Tai. Would you like to go first?"

Tai just shrugged. "Sure, why not." He accepted, ripping off the wrapping paper to reveal what appeared to be a tool chest. Opening _that_ up, he found not a set of regular tools - like the box might have implied - but a set of brand-new wood-working tools. "Holy smokes... These look amazing, Weiss. Thank you." He then placed the toolbox aside, getting up off the couch to give Weiss a hug.

Next up was Qrow, who upon opening his gift, was met with... "Is this a car key?"

Weiss nodded. "It is indeed. But it's not just _any_ car key, Qrow. It is the key to your new _Vitali Model G_, to replace that dreadful thing you call _your ride_." She informed. "It will be waiting for you back at your apartment when you fly home."

Qrow merely blinked, staring at the key in his hand. "Wow... I uh, I dunno what to say..."

"Perhaps _thank you_ would be a good place to start." Weiss suggested with a slight smirk. To which Qrow just chuckled a bit, slowly standing up to wrap her in a hug, patting her on the back as he did. It was really sweet to watch, honestly. That man had not exactly had the easiest life, from neglectful parents to a piece of shit sister, so being able to see him so happy was... heartwarming to say the least.

"Are you gonna take me for rides in it?" Ruby excitedly wondered.

Qrow just chuckled as he and Weiss separated. "Of course, kiddo. Just give me a ring whenever you're free."

"Deal!"

Once Qrow had sat back down, Pyrrha volunteered to go next, as she was quite curious to know what exactly was inside her rather large present, due to the... _intriguing_ sound it made when it was moved. As she removed the wrapping paper and opened the box, what lied within was what appeared to be _hundreds_ of high quality mechanical pencils. Upon seeing what she had received, Pyrrha remained quiet for a moment, merely staring into the box before she burst into laughter. Even Yang and a few of the others could not help but chuckle as well, as they were all fully aware of exactly why Weiss had given such an odd gift. Back when they were in school, Pyrrha was always giving away her pencils to those who forgot to bring their own, or did not have a usable one. Weiss used to grouse that people were just mooching off of her, and that she was enabling lax attitudes, but every time, she responded that everyone had a right to a smooth education.

"There is two thousand in there." Weiss mentioned. "Complete with enough lead to last you a very, _very_ long time."

Through laughter, Pyrrha got up to give her friend a tight hug. "Thank you, Weiss. These will certainly be useful with a classroom full of children who always seem to be forgetting their writing utensils."

"That sounds like we purchased the correct gift." Weiss guessed.

"Absolutely." Pyrrha answered as she released her friend and sat back down.

As Weiss looked back to the others, she noticed one of them was looking a _tad_ more excited than the rest, causing her to smile. "Ruby, you seem to be practically bouncing in your seat again, why don't you open yours?"

"Okay!" Ruby burst, quickly making short work of the wrapping paper and tossing it aside, which was immediately followed by a huge gasp. From what Yang could see, it appeared to be a fancy laptop of sort. "_Oh my gods_! Weiss how did you find this?! These have been out of stock since they _released_!"

Weiss just let out a chuckle at the younger woman's excitement. "It seems you forget who you're talking to, Ruby."

Quickly passing the box to her fiancé, who placed it onto the coffee table, Ruby practically jumped off the couch and threw her arms around her friend, who was barely able to handle the impact. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you!"_

Weiss merely returned the hug, lightly patting Ruby on the back as she did. "You're most welcome." Then she snickered at something. "I take it you would like to go next, Blake?"

Looking up from examining the rather large box in her own lap, Blake just smiled, shrugging slightly. "If you insist." She agreed, beginning to slowly pull off the wrapping paper as her fiancé sat down next to her, revealing a plain cardboard box. Upon opening that, she pulled out a few other boxes: A _typewriter keyboard_ as one was labelled, a pair of seemingly high quality headphones, and an adjustable monitor mount.

"The latter is for that awful posture habit that Ruby mentioned you have while you're writing." Weiss commented as Blake pulled the last item from the box. "I also bought you a more ergonomic office chair to go with it, which will be delivered to your apartment when you go home."

"Wow, thanks, Weiss." Blake smiled, putting her gifts aside to stand and hug her friend.

"The pleasure is all mine." Weiss insisted. "But just so you know, _I made sure it was also strong and sturdy enough to hold two_." She added through a whisper, flashing a slight grin at the feline Faunus.

Blake remained still for a moment, before nodding a bit. "_Good to know_." She acknowledged before the two separated and she sat down.

Weiss then turned to smile at the couch containing Sienna, Kali and Yang. "And last, but _certainly_ not least, our host."

Kali just chuckled in response, glancing down at the gift in her lap. "Very well." She agreed, opening up her present to reveal a simple black box. Under its lid, to her pleasant surprise, was a brand-new set of chefs tools. Knives of various sizes, spatulas, whiskers, peelers, graters, measuring cups - everything she could _possibly_ need when in the kitchen. They certainly beat her current tools, as they were likely over a decade old and heavily used. "Oh my. This is quite the set, Weiss."

The woman in question merely shrugged. "When I visited the craftsman, he insisted he make a full package for my dearest family friend."

Kali smiled warmly at the compliment. "You're too sweet, dear."

After Weiss had received her last hug, the group proceeded to return to casual conversation. At least, until Yang realized what had been missed. "Hey wait a minute, you said you wouldn't forget me!"

Weiss let out a chuckle at the blonde's outburst. "I was wondering when you would take notice." Standing from her seat, she started to make her way toward the front hall. "Follow me." She requested, leading a rather excited Yang through the house and to the front door, where the two slipped on their respective shoes and stepped outside. A tarp-covered form now sat near the end of the driveway, something that was _definitely_ not there before. Yang glanced at her friend, who merely grinned as she approached the tarp, swiftly pulling it off to reveal...

"Holy shit..." Yang gasped, mouth dropping open at the sight before her. Under the tarp was... her motorcycle. Her motorcycle was there, in Menagerie. _Bumblebee_ was in Menagerie, while it should have been in her dad's garage back on Patch. And it looked... _different_, somehow. Walking closer to the bike, she could see that it appeared to be in much better condition than when she left it. The cracked mirror from that time she swerved off the road to avoid a deer was gone, as well as the scrape along the left side from the same event...

Weiss only continued to grin. "Surprise."

Yang just kept staring at the motorcycle. "What did you... H-How is it... Why does it look so _good?"_

"I had it professionally upgraded and detailed, then shipped over here." Weiss answered with a smile, handing over the keys. "Improved suspension, upgraded ECU, a full engine swap, replaced breaks with competition-quality ones, as well as the entire exhaust system, and a number of other things I don't particularly understand."

Yang could not believe what she was hearing. While it was true that Weiss had done some exceptionally generous things for all of them before, this... this was an _incredible_ gift. She could almost feel tears welling in her eyes as a goofy smile spread across her face. Quickly approaching her friend, Yang wrapped her arms around the shorter woman's midsection and actually lifted her up off the ground, eliciting a surprised yelp as she did so. A few seconds then passed in silence, with the blonde merely holding Weiss in her arms as the two enjoyed the hug.

"I'm only allowing this because today is solstice."

Yang just chuckled at the excuse. "Sure you are."

After the pair were done with Yang's present, they headed back inside where they rejoined the rest of the party in the living area. Since she was supposed to have been given the last present, the group returned to casual conversation, but to everyone's surprise, Weiss had one more gift... for Ilia.

Taking gentle hold of her girlfriend's hands, Weiss offered a gentle smile. Something that, back when they were in school, no one would have ever thought possible. "Ilia, we met at the tail end of an important stage of my life, where my beliefs had been challenged and... _deconstructed_, and by extension... myself. I was _raw_, vulnerable and unsure. In the midst of rethinking my future... you walked in and gave me a purpose. You gave me the courage and faith to forge ahead, to aim high once more. And through thick and thin, you remained true to me... in spite of the less desirable aspects of my personality. I... I wouldn't be the woman I am today without you. So..." Then she took a deep breath, sliding off the couch to a kneel and pulling a tiny blue box from her pocket. Holding out her hand, she opened the lid, revealing a simple gold ring with a small, gleaming blue-grey gem, prompting several quiet gasps. "Ilia Amitola, my Rainbow, will you marry me?"

Everyone then looked to the woman in question, who appeared unable to respond, mouth hanging open as tears pooled in her eyes. "Are... are you sure?"

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life." Weiss declared.

Ilia's lip quivered at the answer. A few moments later, she nodded slightly, a bright smile spread across her face. "Okay... then yes, yes I will marry you!" She beamed, jumping off of couch to a kneel to meet her now-fiancé in a hug. After sharing a tender kiss, the two separated so Weiss could slip the ring onto her finger as tears of joy streamed down her face. What followed was an excited round of applause from the others, each approaching the newly-engaged couple to offer their congratulations and embraces.

"So what made you wanna pop the question here?" Yang wondered after wrapping her friend in a hug.

"Well, after asking for Sienna's blessing, which I must admit was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life, I came up with an absurd amount of possibilities for where and how to do it." Weiss explained. "Most of them were rather expensive, extravagant, or both, but none felt quite... _right_. We both know price isn't an issue, but expense like that can be wasteful, and our relationship was never built on that sort of thing. So in the end, I decided that I just wanted to be around my family."

"That's beautiful, Weiss." Kali smiled, meeting the younger woman in a gentle hug.

"Any idea when you're going to have the wedding?" Tai asked.

Weiss and Ilia shared a look. "We have spoken before about a number of possible times and locations, but as long as we can make the arrangements, we will be having our wedding next autumn." The former answered with a smile.

Tai offered a smile in return. "Well, I'm looking forward to it."

As the others continued to congratulate the couple, Ruby gasped all of a sudden. "Oh my gods! We could totally do a dual wedding!" She burst, eliciting a number of laughs from around the room. "Matching dresses, single ceremony..." Then she gasped again. "Double the cake!" Which only made the laughter grow.

And then, surprising as it was, rather than shooting her friend's... _unorthodox_ idea down, Weiss instead brought a hand up to her chin. "You know, Ruby, that could actually be fun."

Ilia immediately turned to her new fiancé in response. "Wait, you're not serious, are you?"

Weiss just shrugged. "I merely said it _could_ be fun, I never agreed to anything." She clarified, before grinning slightly. "Though at the same time, that does not mean we can't have a discussion about it in the future."

Ilia then turned to Blake, likely hoping for a more rational opinion. Unfortunately for her, the other Faunus merely smirked. "I like the idea of having matching suits, and I know you do too."

"I vote double wedding!" Yang burst from the other couch.

"Yeah! Yang knows the right answer!" Ruby excitedly agreed.

Watching her fiancé struggle to find the words to respond, Weiss let out a chuckle. "How about we discuss this at a later date? We are in the middle of a party after all."

Then, from her place on what had essentially become Yang's armchair when she moved in a year ago, Sienna cleared her throat, causing the room to quiet down and drawing everyone's gaze to her. _Damn, that was impressive... But I guess I shouldn't be surprised_. "If I may, could I have everyone's attention?"

"Of course." Kali nodded. "What is it, Sienna?"

Standing from her chair, Sienna made her way over to the couch that sat Ilia, Weiss, Ruby and Blake. "I apologize for my attendance being so last-minute, so Kali was the only one who was able to prepare anything, but I still have a gift for Weiss; my soon-to-be daughter."

Weiss just blinked, uneasily staring up at the Priestess. "You... have something for _me_?" She nervously asked, almost unable to maintain eye contact. It was a bit sad, but still amusing, as she had always been uneasy around Sienna. Not only because she was dating - and now engaged to - her only daughter, but due to her family's... _problematic_ history with those of Faunus descent. She had once mentioned to Yang how it felt like she was always walking on eggshells around her, like if she said or did a single thing wrong, she would not be aloud to see Ilia anymore.

Sienna nodded, offering her hand to pull Weiss to her feet, but not letting go once she was. "I admit, you did not impress me when first we met. I expected little more than a spoiled child with a painted smile, and the promise of a broken heart. I refrained from expressing as much, as I wanted my dear Ilia to follow her own path, and experience the consequences on her own actions." Then she paused, letting the younger woman's hands go and reaching back to undo the crimson-gemmed necklace that always adorned her neck. Once it was off, Sienna reached around the back of Weiss' head, brushing her long, ivory hair aside to begin putting the piece of jewelry on her. "To my surprise, you persevered, and here we stand, years onward, a family in the making." Stepping back, Sienna offered a warm smile, admiring the woman before her. "I gave you my blessing, and now I welcome you, my future daughter... You will bear me fine grandchildren."

Upon hearing that last sentence, both Weiss and Ilia stiffened as the room fell quiet, with every other person in the room merely staring at the two standing women. _Wait a minute, what was that?_

"Did you just say... _grandchildren_?" Ruby wondered after several moments spent in complete silence.

Weiss just blinked, looking between Ruby, Ilia and Sienna. "_Um..."_

Sienna also began gazing around at the others, seemingly confused at their surprise. Then she turned back to Weiss. "Were they not aware of that information?" To which the younger woman only managed to shake her head slightly. "Oh, I see. My apologies."

A few seconds later, it clicked for Yang. "Wait, Weiss, you're _pregnant?"_

The woman in question remained quiet for several moments, until briefly looking to her fiancé, before taking a deep breath. "Yes, I am." She confirmed, drawing out downright flabbergasted expressions from nearly everyone in the room, and even a few gasps. "I have been for about three months now."

And then Blake huffed a bit, a slight smirk on her face. "Called it."

Weiss immediately glared at her friend. "How could you _possibly_ have _called it?"_

Blake only kept smirking. "Well, you brought a fair amount of wine, yet you didn't drink a single glass, and you ate pretty lightly, even for you." She explained, quite smugly. "Oh yeah, and you kept your hands on your stomach a lot, which, if that's not a dead giveaway, I don't know what is."

Weiss shared a somewhat surprised look with Ilia. "Hm. Very well, I stand corrected."

While her friends continued to discuss the _obviousness_ of letting slip that one of them was pregnant, Yang could only wonder one thing. "So... is no one else gonna ask how in the heck Weiss is pregnant?" To which she received confused looks from not only the woman in question, but Sienna, Blake, and even Kali. "Uh... Did I miss something?"

"Yang, sweetheart, Ilia is like Blake and Sienna." Kali informed.

_So that means_... "Wait, she's and _Alpha_?" Yang balked, before turning to Ilia herself. _"You're an Alpha?"_

Ilia timidly nodded, the spots on her skin tinting pink as she struggled to meet the blonde's gaze, squirming a bit in her seat. "Y-Yeah..."

Yang just blinked, almost unable to believe what she just heard. _Ilia_... an _Alpha_...? "But you're so... _un-Alpha-like!"_

Weiss just rolled her eyes as her partner's body tinted a deeper shade of pink. "Having a personality unlike Blake or Sienna does not make incapable of being an Alpha, Yang."

Ilia's gaze fell at the statement, her skin darkening. "_But it would've been better if I was like them_..." She mumbled, voice barely audible, but still drawing the attention of several others.

Weiss then briefly narrowed her eyes at her friend before turning to her fiancé. "_Nonsense_. I chose this because I love you. You are stronger than you know, and you have given me a strong child." She stressed, taking gentle hold of her partner's hands. "_You're_ the one I fell in love with. _You're_ the one I want my children to be like. Anything less is absolutely unacceptable."

After a moment, Ilia smiled a bit, reaching up to wipe away the tears that were beginning to well in her eyes. "Thank you, Weiss. I love you, too." Then she turned to the others. "Sorry about that. I'm still getting used to... well, all this pregnancy stuff."

Unsurprisingly, Tai offered a smile in return. "Nothing to be sorry for, Ilia. When... my ex was pregnant with Yang, and even when Summer was pregnant with Rubes, I was _constantly_ questioning whether I was good enough for not only them, but to be a parent. So trust me, I know _exactly_ how you feel. If you ever want to talk about it, just give me a call."

Ilia nodded, her smile brightening. "Thanks, Taiyang."

"Don't mention it."

A few moments later, Blake almost hesitantly raised her hand. "Does that offer extend to me, too?"

Tai let out a small chuckle. "Of course, Blake. Even if you weren't engaged to my daughter, you're already family."

Ruby just scoffed at her father's answer, which certainly surprised most, though her lips were curled into a slight smile, so that was at least a good sign. "I mean she'd _better_ be, after you practically scared her half to death when you gave her _the dad talk_ back in high school."

"I just wanted to make sure she was serious about you!" Tai defended, looking around at the others, hoping to garner some support. "Turns out I was right."

"You didn't have to freak her out like that!" Ruby pointed out, to which Yang just rolled her eyes. _At least you only had to go through that once_. "After talking to you, she came to me saying we couldn't have sex until we were married!"

Tai opened his mouth to respond, before pausing, seemingly realizing something before turning slightly to look at Blake. "Wait a second, you said you two hadn't slept together yet."

Blake merely stared straight at her soon-to-be father-in-law, expression as blank as a canvas. "Uhh..."

The room quickly burst into laughter.

* * *

After all the loose wrapping paper had been cleaned up and thrown out, the group decided to head outside to the backyard for a nice late-night bonfire.

It was a strange feeling, honestly. Yang had not been around a fire with her family in an exceptionally long time. Not since she, her sister and friends were kids. Even though this was a completely different situation on an equally different continent, sitting down on one of the outdoor couches with Kali snuggling up to her brought with it a nostalgic, yet still very new feeling. It was... _odd_, but pleasant nonetheless. So, putting an arm around her girlfriend and pulling her close - which of course, earned a smirk from Sienna, who sat next to them - Yang watched the rest of her family take their seats on the other pieces of outdoor furniture as Ruby and Blake excitedly built up the fire. They were tasked with being the _firebugs_, or so Ruby called them... Even though that was _most definitely_ not the right term for what they were doing. _Well, as least they were having fun with it... So long as they don't burn anything down._

Once the fire was done... by everyone else's standards - Tai actually had to recommend for his daughter to to stop loading the fire pit with so much wood - the group spent some time simply... _relaxing_ together. It had been a rather _eventful_ night, to put it simply, so it was honestly really nice to finally have some downtime. Looking around at the others seated around her, Yang could not help but smile. Everyone looked so... _peaceful_, with faces lit from the orange glow of the fire, most of them cuddled up with their partners, warm smiles upon each of their faces... All except for Sienna... Her expression was that of... _longing._

"Everything alright, Sienna?" Yang inquired, her own expression shifting to one of slight worry. Even Kali, who was currently resting upon her shoulder, turned her head to look at her friend.

Sienna offered a smile in response. "Fine, dear." She assured. "I was merely reminiscing about the past."

"Oh? What of?" Kali wondered.

"How we used to spend Solstice." Sienna answered, turning back toward the fire. "Dancing beneath the pale moonlight, flames flickering across our painted skin, wine flowing through our veins..." Then her smile faltered. "It is quite a shame that traditional rituals have fallen out of favor, else we'd be clad in robes... Well, _clad_ being a generous term." She chuckled. "In truth, they hardly covered anything. So we were left half-naked, but all would be revealed in time anyway, drunk, high, dancing like the end was near... So many pairings would form, if not an entire orgy."

Kali let out a chuckle as well. "Those certainly were the days."

Upon hearing that last bit, Yang immediately perked up, eyebrows raising with intrigue, but also disbelief. "You two... danced around a fire... drunk... and practically _naked_...?" _Good gods what I wouldn't give to have seen that..._

Sienna immediately smirked at the blonde's dumbfounded expression. "That's right, Yang. As was tradition."

Yang could only manage to keep her gaze on the fire in front of them, lest she stare at the older woman. "That's uh... wow..."

"Little can compare to a cools nights breeze on bare skin." Sienna mentioned.

Yang chuckled a bit, suddenly reminded of the various times she had sex outdoors. Of course there was her _first_ first time - the _excited fuck_ \- but there were also a number of other occasions with past partners where they had to sneak out into a nearby forest due to occupied houses. Not the cleanest solutions in the world, but they always made sure to bring towels and such, so it was never actually _dirty_. Then there was that one time she and Coco took the latter's car into an empty parking garage at two in the morning and went at it in the back seat. Ah, what a fun night that was... Even though that was not technically _outside_. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

As she was taking a drink from her water, Weiss pointed toward her friend. "Ditto."

Yang immediately quirked a brow. "Wait, what do _you_ know about that?"

"I've grown a healthy appreciation for measured nudism." Weiss answered with a slight smirk.

_Measured nudism_? "The heck's _that_ mean?"

"It means I'm not always wearing a skirt, Yang." Weiss clarified.

Yang quickly grinned upon understanding, attempting to keep herself from chuckling at the thought of the Atlas couple _having fun_ in a public area. "Ahhh, doin' some _foolin' around_ in the mansion garden are we?"

Weiss met her friend's grin with one of her own. "The pool more often than not, actually." Which prompted her fiancé - who was currently cuddled up on her lap, arms wrapped around her shoulders - to nearly tint entirely pink.

_"Weiss!"_

Several chuckles followed, except for Yang, who was still trying her best not to laugh. She needed to know more. "Oh yeah? Who's the one that's gotta _hold their breath?"_

"I do, of course." Weiss informed, to which Ilia merely hid her blushing face in her partner's neck. Though that did not exactly help, considering her whole body was pink.

"Wow, pretty generous of you, Weissy." Yang complimented. "Got a record for how long you could stay underwater?"

Weiss just smirked. "One minute, thirty nine." She declared, quite proudly.

"_Dang_, you've got some strong lungs, girl." Yang praised, genuinely rather impressed that _Weiss_ of all people was able to do that, before grinning. "_But_ I've got you beat by almost twenty seconds!" She burst, thinking back to when she and Coco spent the day by the latter's poolside, and in their infinite wisdom, they decided it would be a fun idea to fool around in the water. Little did Yang know, she would spend nearly two full minutes underwater until her then-girlfriend finished. Honestly, she had absolutely _no_ idea how she was able to manage that.

"_Alright_, pluggin' my ears now." Tai mentioned from the third outdoor couch, eliciting a few chuckles from around the fire.

"Very impressive, Yang." Sienna added with a near-purr, flashing a smirk over at the blonde, causing her to immediately look away, lest she blush in front of everyone. _Damnit, Sienna!_

Ilia let out a groan, finally lifting her head from her partner's shoulder as her skin began to change back to its normal colour. "Don't we have anything more _normal_ to talk about?"

Qrow let out a chuckle at the request, before taking a sip of his rum and coke, which was surprisingly mostly coke. "Not sure this family is capable of talkin' about _normal_ stuff, Freckles."

"What'dya mean, Uncle Qrow? Of course we can talk about normal stuff!" Ruby attempted to defend from her place lying across her fiancé's lap.

Blake just snickered at the statement. "Says the one who wanted to teach our child to skydive." Which drew out several chuckles from the others.

"We could totally teach the baby to skydive!" Ruby insisted.

Blake rolled her eyes, but still smiling slightly as she pat her fiancé on the head. "You're an idiot."

Ruby giggled at the insult. "Well guess what, Blakey? I'm _your_ idiot." She excitedly countered, holding up her hand to flash the silver engagement ring right in the Faunus' face. _"Forever!"_

Blake just chuckled, along with everyone else. "_Curses_, however shall I live with myself?"

"I'm afraid you're outta luck." Yang commented. "After living with her for sixteen years, I can confirm that there's no hope for ya."

_"Hey!"_

Tai chuckled at the exchange. "No, she's right, Rubes. Blake, you're doomed." Which caused almost everyone to burst into laughter, aside from Ruby of course, who just pouted like a child.

"Can we just play a game now?" Ruby grumpily requested. "We can't have a bonfire without playing at least one game!"

Kali let out a chuckle, lifting her head from its place upon Yang's shoulder. "Of course, dear. What would you like to play?"

Bringing a hand up to her chin as she sat up, Ruby paused for a moment. "Maybe... truth or dare?"

"Ah, I'm not drunk enough for that." Qrow mentioned, taking another sip from his drink.

"Seconded." Weiss added.

Ruby took another moment to think. "Then how about... would you rather?" To which after a few seconds, everyone seemed to agree upon. It was a fairly simple with its execution, so it was perfect for playing around the fire. "Awesome! Dad, you wanna go first?"

Tai blinked in response, seemingly unprepared to be put on the spot like that. "Oh, uh, sure thing, sweetheart." He then gazed around at the others, appearing to be looking for someone to ask. "Uh... Sienna. Would you rather streak through a football match, or skinny dip in a public pool?"

"Public pool." Sienna answered, rather quickly. "Nudism laws are lax here, dear." She explained, before looking around the group. "Let me see... _Ruby_." Which caused the girl in question to flinch slightly at the older woman's tone. _Boy, do I know how that feels, Rubes_. "Would you rather... give up sex with Blake for an entire year, or... sleep with Yang?"

Upon hearing the scenario, Yang immediately spit out the iced tea she was drinking all over the lawn, leaving her coughing and spluttering. _"Wh- What?!"_

Sienna merely smirked. "You heard me."

Ruby remained silent for a time, seemingly pondering the hypothetical, yet still impossible decision. No sex with Blake... or sex with Yang... What a horrifying _would you rather_ question. Eventually, she turned to her sister with an almost... _defeated_ look on her face. "Yang... I need you to take one for the team."

Yang merely blinked at her sister. _Did... Did I hear that right? I did just hear that... Gods there is something wrong with my family_. "Just close your legs, Rubes." She recommended after a moment, hoping to sway her decision. "Or get a chastity belt."

"But I don't wanna do either of those!" Ruby whined.

"Well I don't wanna go _pearl diving_ on my sister!" Yang countered, much to the displeasure of her father, who's expression immediately become one of pure disgust upon hearing that, causing Pyrrha to reassuringly pat him on the shoulder.

"Why not?" Ruby questioned... somehow.

"Oh I dunno, why do you think?" Yang questioned right back. _I get no sex would be hard but how is this even a contest?_

From the corner of her eye, the blonde witnessed Tai lean over past Pyrrha to tap his brother-in-law on the back. "Qrow, I'm gonna need you to shoot me."

"You're just scared you're not as good as Blakey." Ruby claimed.

_Why are we having this conversation_? "That is _absolutely_ not the reason."

Blake smirked at the blonde's level of discomfort. "I can see validity in this fear."

Taking a moment to focus on something else... sort of, Yang raised a brow at her friend. "Oh yeah? I bet I can eat _circles_ around you!"

Blake just continued to smirk. "Prove it."

Yang furrowed her brow at the request. "_How_?" To which the Faunus' smirk simply grew, as she laid a hand upon the back of Ruby's neck. _Yeah, okay, nope. I'm not even gonna... damnit how am I even supposed to respond to that? Uh... Maybe I could_... "H-How about Weissy instead?"

Upon hearing her name, Weiss immediately quirked a brow, in both curiosity, and slight annoyance given the context. _"Excuse me?"_

"You're Ruby-sized, it's comparable!" Yang attempted to defend, though sadly her friend was not having it.

"That does not mean I give you any sort of permission to hypothetically be near my crotch." Weiss continued, crossing her arms and causing Ilia to snicker.

"But the alternative is hypothetical incest!"

Weiss proceeded to smirk slightly. "How unfortunate for you."

"Weeeeeiiiss!" Yang whined, reaching into the air toward her friend in an attempt to gain her sympathy for this imagined situation.

Weiss just shrugged. "Do tell me how it goes, or should I say, _tastes."_

_Why must my own friends turn against me_? Yang then sighed, turning to her sister, as hard as it was to look at her right now. "Ruby, just... just ask someone else a question. Anything to get off this topic."

Ruby nodded, thankfully, before looking around to the others, and settling on the couple next to them. "_Weiss_, would you rather... fart really loudly at every serious conversation, or burp after every kiss?"

Weiss just scoffed. "Burp after kissing of course. Farting is career suicide."

"Y'know, I don't think I've ever even _heard_ you fart." Ruby commented.

_Oh my gods, she's right. Nearly ten years, and nothing._

Weiss only smirked slightly. "And you never will."

Ilia let out a chuckle. "Trust me, you don't want to." To which her fiancé lightly slapped her on the arm.

Then Weiss turned to the blonde. _Uh oh_. "Would you rather have no fingers, or no eyes?"

_Oh, that's easy_. "No eyes, one hundred percent. I need my _magic fingers_." Yang answered, flashing a slight smirk over at her girlfriend, who giggled. Unfortunately, it did not go unnoticed.

"Careful now, or you'll find out why that turtleneck exists." Sienna warned, smirking at the younger woman.

"What's that mean?" Blake inquired, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Nothing!" Yang quickly attempted to assure. "Just had a disagreement with a bush! I told you that earlier!" Then she gazed over at the sly woman next to her and Kali, glaring at her briefly with slight panic in her eyes. _Damnit, Sienna!_

Blake just kept her eyes narrowed. _"Uhuh."_

Yang then looked around, hoping to get to the next person. "Uh... Uncle Qrow! Would you rather be topped by a girl, or... marry an Alpha?"

Qrow thought for a moment. "Hm, depends. What kind of topped?"

_Let's make this difficult_. "Hard pegging."

Qrow's brow raised in surprise at the answer. "_Damn_. I think I'll marry an Alpha then. No guarantee that their thing's goin' in me."

Sienna chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Qrow paused for a moment. "So... both options are pretty much the same, aren't they?"

Sienna shrugged, a slight smirk present on her face. "Most likely."

Qrow just nodded slowly. "Alright then, I'll still take the Alpha. At least then I'll get some lovin' too." He answered, before turning to his brother-in-law. "Tai, would you rather have no dick, or five dicks?"

Tai brought a hand up to his chin, seemingly in thought. Then he snapped his fingers. "Five dicks, then I'd make thousands selling my story, or body to whatever will pay for it."

"You could also bone five chicks at the same time." Qrow added.

Tai opened his mouth to respond, but paused. "How would that even work?"

Qrow just shrugged, taking a sip from his drink. "I have no idea, but I'm sure you'd find a way."

"Perhaps a series of ropes and pulleys?" Pyrrha suggested.

Qrow snapped his fingers, pointing over at the redhead. "Red's got the right idea."

"Gymnasts might help, too." Blake added.

"That they could." Tai agreed, before looking around, eventually settling on the young woman next to him. He opened his mouth a few times, likely trying to think of a question, but he seemed unable to. Pyrrha just kept warmly smiling at him. As weird as it was to see her father fumbling over one of her best friends, it was also rather amusing. _Ah, poor dad. Pretty women are the undoing of the Xiao Longs. He's probably too focused on how gorgeous she is to come up with something coherent. I feel you, dad. I know I'd have the same problem if it was Kal smiling at me like that._

After several moments of silence, Pyrrha chuckled softly. "Would you like me to go instead?" To which her secret boyfriend just nodded slightly. _Man you two are makin' this really obvious_. Then she turned to Yang. "Would you rather get a visible tattoo, or a nose ring?"

_Another easy one_. "Definitely a tattoo. I've always wanted to get a big Mistrali dragon on my back." Yang answered, leaning forward to gesture behind her. "Plus, nose rings are kinda trashy."

"Yet you say I would've looked good with one in high school." Blake mentioned, raising a brow at her friend.

_Ah, shit_. "You would have!" Yang defended. "In high school... Ruby's probably the only one here that could pull one off now though."

Ruby immediately grinned upon hearing that. "Thanks, sis!"

A few quiet moments followed, until the blonde noticed Kali was lightly touching her own nose. "Do you think _I_ would look good with one?"

Yang just stared at her girlfriend, as she began to picture her with a nose ring. After a few seconds, she only managed to audibly swallow. "Uh..." To say _ has stopped responding_ would be an accurate statement. _That would be so hot..._

Kali softly chuckled at her partner's reaction. "I will take that as a yes."

After composing herself, Yang searched for her the next question target. "Uhhh, _Ilia_, if you had to right now, would you rather give or receive a lap dance?"

Ilia just chuckled slightly. "Oh definitely receive, I have two left feet."

Yang grinned at the answer, looking passed Ilia to the woman whose lap she currently sat upon. "Alright Weissy, you heard her."

Weiss only rolled her eyes at the insinuation. "Pass."

"What, don't got the _moves_?" Yang wondered.

Weiss scoffed. "Of course I do, I just don't want to trigger an orgy."

_An orgy? Good gods is she that good_? "I'd be okay with that." Yang defended, to which her father just sighed. _Heh, sorry, dad._

"I would rather not stain the furniture." Kali mentioned.

_"A sacrifice I am willing to make."_

"Yeah, if we could just stick to family games, that'd be great." Tai commented from the other couch, earning a set of chuckles from the others.

Yang faux-pouted in response. "Fine."

Sienna let out an extra chuckle at the comment. "That's a relief, I left my protection at home." Then she turned to the couch that contained Pyrrha, Tai and Qrow, and addressed the latter two with a smirk. "Unless one of you fine gentlemen has extra."

"_Mom_!" Ilia whined, skin tinting pink once again. Then after a moment, she turned to Yang. "Alright, settle down, horn dog." She embarrassingly requested, before looking at the woman next to her. "Kali, would you rather... have a drunken hookup in a bathroom stall, or in the back of a car?" She wondered, which was followed by a pause. "Damnit, Yang, now I have sex on the brain."

Kali giggled at the younger Faunus' outburst. "Bathroom. I've experienced the car before, it's rather cramped."

Out of the corner of her eye, the blonde noticed Sienna smirk. "I blame that little two-door you used to own."

Upon hearing that, Yang's mind - as hard as she tried to stop it - decided that it would wander over to a _very_ inappropriate place and picture... what exactly that would have looked like. She had seen pictures of Kali and Sienna from when they were her age, and having her mind go to them, screwing in the back of a car... It almost made her shudder. _Fuck I gotta stop thinking about that before I actually get horny._

Taking a moment to think, Kali's gaze shifted to Tai. "Taiyang, would you rather eat Yang's cooking, or Ruby's cooking for the rest of your life?"

Since both sisters were relatively good cooks, each having their own specialties, everyone expected it to be a fairly difficult decision, but surprisingly, Tai made it much faster than expected. "Ruby's."

Yang nearly spit out her iced tea at her father's answer. _"What?"_

Tai just shrugged. "Sorry, honey. Rubes makes better breakfasts."

_Oh you've gotta be kidding me._

_"Ha!"_

"Alright, Rubes, settle down." Tai requested to his rather excited daughter, leaving his other one pouting and being comforted by her girlfriend. "Would you rather... only drink water, or never eat cookies again?

Ruby just blinked in response. "How am I supposed to answer that?"

"By choosing an option." Weiss recommended.

Raising her hands, Ruby looked between them, as if she was physically holding her two choices. "Uhhh... Fine! Only water. I can function without milk." To which her fiancé snorted.

"Pft, yeah right."

Ruby immediately flipped around to almost glare at her partner. "I can too!" She claimed with a pout, before grinning. "But two can play at that game! Would you rather never read smut, or never write it ever again?"

Blake only chuckled a bit at what appeared to be a simple question for her. "Easy, never read it. I sorta mostly gave up on it anyway when I started writing, unless I need inspiration." Then she smirked, leaning closer to her partner so their faces were barely a couple inches apart. "Plus, I don't need smut... _when I have you_." She purred, voice just above a whisper, as she closed the distance and met her fiancé in a gentle kiss.

_Little gross on the implication, but how cute- Oh, now they're making out... Lovely._

Weiss let out an annoyed sigh at the sight next to her. "Really?"

_Got that right. Can't they read the room- and now they're using tongue... How pleasant._

After a few moments of watching the couple, Tai thankfully cleared his throat, prompting them to finally separate, with Ruby giggling as they did, wiping her mouth with her hand as her partner flashed a sly smirk over at her sister-in-law. It caused the blonde to narrow her eyes. _Oh you're so lucky I promised not to tease you about me and Kal, or else... I dunno what I'd be doing, but I'd be doing something you wouldn't like_! "Heh, sorry, dad. Blakey, I think it's your go."

"Sure thing." Blake agreed, gazing around at the others, looking for a person to ask. "How about... Pyr, Would you rather... lick Yang's foot, or let a stranger lick _your_ foot?"

"Yang's foot." Pyrrha answered, rather quickly. _Wait a minute_. "It wouldn't be the first time." _Ah, damnit Pyrrha!_

After a moment, Blake seemed to realize just what the redhead answered. "_Wait_, what?"

"_Seconded_." Ruby added.

"Third...ed." Ilia timidly added as well, causing everyone to look at her with curious expressions on their faces. "What? I'm hoping for a funny story."

Weiss quirked her brow at her partner. "You won't lick _my_ feet."

Ilia remained silent for a moment, her skin colour ever so slightly shifting toward pink. "S-So come on, Pyr, what's the story?"

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle at her friend's embarrassment. "Well, we were discussing kinks one afternoon, and Yang believed her feet weren't good enough for people to kiss. So I proved her wrong."

"Yeah, by practically _assaulting_ my feet with your mouth!" Yang accused, her cheeks heating up at the mere mention of that memory. "I swear, with how intensely she was doing it, I thought she was tryin' to get in my pants!"

Pyrrha chuckled again in response. "My mother always taught me to never half-ass anything, Yang." She reminded. "But as you know, my only aim was to prove a point."

Kali raised a brow upon hearing the... _interesting_ story. "I was not aware of this."

"'Cause it's embarrassing!" Yang quickly admitted, her blush still rather strong. "Let's just move on! Sienna, go."

Kali merely giggled, leaning all the way forward to reach down and poke her girlfriend's foot. "But your little feeties are so _cute!"_

As the others chuckled at her expense, and Yang's face remained as red as a tomato, she looked around, hoping to find something, _anything_ to change the subject. Or at the very least, distract them this. _Uh..._ "Pyrrha's got a daddy kink!" She burst, which prompted a few raised brows, but sadly no other notable reactions, aside from Pyrrha herself, whose eyes widened so fast, they nearly exploded out of her head. Amusing to see, but unfortunately not enough.

"You do look rather adorable in sandals." Sienna added with her usual sly smirk, but this time with a discrete wink. _You're not making this any better!_

Yang could only let out an embarrassed sigh. "Someone go before they start admiring my feet!"

"Is it safe to open my eyes?" Tai wondered, currently covering the top half of his face with a hand.

As embarrassed as she was, Yang was still able to chuckle at her father. "Yeah, dad, nothin's actually happening."

"_Yet_." Sienna near-purred, causing the blonde to stiffen in her seat, and Kali to giggle once again.

_I hate this_. "S-Someone, please go."

After a moment, Kali spoke up. _Thank the Maidens_. "Weiss, would you rather never wear underwear, or have tattooed arms?"

"Easy. Never wear underwear." Weiss answered with a confident grin. "I'm no stranger for going commando at work, and the only one who has ever noticed is a certain head of security who finds herself under my desk every now and then, for professional purposes of course."

Upon hearing that last part, Ilia's entire body immediately tinted a deep shade of pink, as she whipped her head around to stare, wide-eyed at her fiancé. _"Weiss! Mom's right there!"_

Sienna merely smirked at her daughter's embarrassment. "Oh no, please continue."

Weiss chuckled in response, fully wrapping her arms around her pink-tinted partner to pull her close. "My apologies, sweetheart." Then she looked around. "Let's see... _Qrow_, would you rather... own one-hundred cats, or one-hundred dogs?"

"Dogs, I need to be loved, not taken for granted." Qrow answered, taking a sip from his drink.

"If it's love you're looking for, I have some friends I could introduce you to." Sienna offered.

Qrow just shrugged. "I doubt any of 'em are interested in a recovered alcoholic in another country."

"You'd be surprised." Sienna defended with a slight smirk.

Qrow's brow furrowed at the response. "Alright, I'm intrigued, and scared."

Sienna let out a chuckle. "Fear not, most of them don't bite, unless you ask them to of course."

"If you say so." Qrow acknowledged, before turning to his niece. "Would you rather be as tall as Pyr, or as rich as the pipsqueak?"

_"Hey!"_

Ruby only snorted at the question. "Rich, duh. I like being short."

After glaring at Qrow for another moment, Weiss flashed a grin over at her friend. "Correct answer."

"Yeah! Short squad for life!" Ruby burst, holding up a hand to her friend, who rolled her eyes before raising her own to meet the girl in a light high five. "Alright, moving on! Uhh... _Blakey_, would you rather... wear someone else's dirty underwear or use their toothbrush?"

Blake narrowed her eyes at the question, appearing... _suspicious_ for some reason. "Define dirty."

"I mean, what do you think of when I say dirty underwear?" Ruby wondered.

"Ruby, I've handled _your_ dirty underwear." Blake reminded, her lips curling into a slight smirk.

"_Plugging my ears now_." Tai mentioned from the other couch as he did exactly that, earning some chuckles from around the fire.

Ruby brought a hand up to her chin, presumably in thought. "Okay, then we'll say _that_ kind of dirty, but not mine. How about... _Ilia's_ dirty underwear."

Blake just chuckled a bit. "Been there, done that." To which Ilia herself immediately whipped around to face her, body once again tinting pink.

"Blake!"

Watching her friend's admittedly adorable embarrassment, Yang grinned. "Sounds like another story!"

Still fully pink, Ilia glared at the other Faunus on the couch. "Do not-"

"_Truth or dare_, Ilia." Blake interrupted, her smirk only growing.

Ilia just pouted. "I hate you."

Alright, Yang was missing something there. "So, what, you got dared to wear her underwear?"

Blake nodded. "She thought I wouldn't do it."

Yang waited a moment for her friend to continue, but no such thing came. "Then what happened? I wanna hear the whole story, Blake!"

"Please, no." Ilia pled, looking Blake with Ruby-like puppy-dog eyes. Unfortunately for her, the Faunus quite enjoyed tormenting. Plus, after being with Ruby for a number of years now, those eyes had absolutely no effect on her - at least in non-sex related occasions. Actually, now that Yang thought about it, it had been a long time since those eyes had actually worked on anyone. _Guess that's a result of growin' up._

"I wore them for a week, until she begged me to stop." Blake slyly explained.

Yang looked between the two women, confused by one part of that. "And they _fit_ you?"

Blake just shrugged. "Ilia prefers briefs." Then her gaze shifted to the woman in question, lips spreading into a grin once more. _"Unless she's trying to impress someone."_

"Ooohhh, got some special sexy lingerie _just for Weissy_, Ilia?" Yang excitedly wondered, pumping her eyebrows for emphasis.

Though she had been starting to return to her normal skin colour, Ilia immediately tinted pink again at the question. "_I'd never been with anyone before!"_

"What kind are they?" Yang continued, much to the humiliation of her friend. "See-through? Crotchless?" Then she gasped. _"Edible?"_

"_None of your business, Yang_!" Ilia burst, earning some small chuckles from the others, and a reassuring back rub from her fiancé.

Once everyone had settled down - and Ilia's skin had returned to its normal colour - it was Blake's turn. Unlike the other questions, she took a bit longer thinking of one, likely wanting to make it a good one. Eventually, she turned to Weiss. "Alright, Ice Queen-" Which earned a groan from the woman in question. _Damn, I haven't heard that nickname in years_! "Let's pretend for a moment you didn't have a wonderful fiancé. Difficult, I know, but just try for a second. Now, if you were single, would you rather date Ruby, or Yang?"

Weiss opened her mouth to respond, but stopped herself, bringing a hand up to her chin to legitimately think about it. "You know, that is actually an excellent question, Blake." Then she looked between the sisters, before turning to the woman in her lap. "I think I may require some assistance."

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Ilia wondered, a smile spreading across her face. _Oh I know where this is going._

Weiss nodded. "Who would you like to argue for?"

Turning to briefly observe the two subjects, Ilia considered both options. Though the blonde had a feeling who she would choose, given her tastes. "How about I take Ruby?"

"That sounds acceptable." Weiss agreed. "Shall I go first?" To which her fiancé merely nodded. "Very well."

_Ah here we go._

"Yang may lack higher education, but her practical experience in a number of fields - cooking, handiwork, and child-rearing - rectifies my greatest weakness, making for a stronger life partnership." Weiss explained with a smile. _Oh wow, that was... actually kinda nice. Take that Rubes!_

_Wait, are we dating or getting hired?_

"Well, Ruby's already got an advanced career, with future opportunities ready for her." Ilia countered, quite proudly. "Plus, she's much cuter."

"Damn right I am!" Ruby burst.

"Rubes, language."

"Yep, sorry, dad."

Weiss chuckled at the outburst. "Cuteness I can agree on, however Yang has maturity on her side, a sexual allure evident from a glance, and most notably, strength." She noted. "I can see myself coming home for Yang to carry me to a fresh, hot bath."

_What a coincidence, I've actually done that for Kal before._

"And Ruby is small and adorable enough for _you_ to carry to a hot bath, which I know you always liked doing anyways." Ilia reminded, a slight smirk on her face.

"On the rare occasions I am able, yes." Weiss surprisingly agreed. "But Ruby requires far more affection than I am able to provide, Yang is far more self sufficient, and suited to a caretaking role."

"But you would have to deal with those gods-awful puns, _every day_ of your lives." Ilia added.

"Hey! They're not _that_ bad!" Yang claimed, to which everyone just looked at her, clearly not buying it. "Your senses of humour just suck."

Weiss considered the information for a few moments. "You make a good point, Ilia, but I believe that it is small price to pay for being pampered. Plus, her chest size makes a fine bonus." She smirked, causing nearly everyone to quirk a brow in confusion. _Has... Weiss been looking at my tits?_

Ilia, who was certainly the most confused out of the others, looked at her fiancé with a perplexed look. "Since when have _you_ cared about boob size?"

Weiss only shrugged. "Objectively, I do not care, however I've been partial to size ever since I was with Elm, who was, and likely still _is_... considerably larger than everyone in this room, barring Tai."

Tai just crossed his arms at the... compliment? Or perhaps just an observation. "I'm proud of my breast size, thank you."

Much like the others, Weiss let out a chuckle. "I was not referring to _that_ kind of size, Taiyang. Though now that you mention it, I must admit she did have a rather... _impressive_ cup size." Then she briefly looked at the blonde, and smirked. "As I imagine Yang would say, Elm had a _magnificent rack."_

While she attempted to stifle it, Yang could not help but snort at the language that her friend just used. Even though it was merely an imitation of what she would indeed probably say, it was extremely amusing nonetheless. But once she had calmed down, a thought occurred. _"Elm?"_

Upon hearing her friend's confused tone, Weiss seemed to realize she had not explained one thing about her story. "Oh, right. She was a girl I dated in my first year at Atlas Academy, before transferring down to Beacon."

_But that means..._ "Hold up, you dated a girl that was bulkier than my _dad_?" Yang asked, dumbfounded at the mere idea of the scenario. Her friend only nodded in response, which only caused the blonde's eyes to widen. _Holy shit, that's big even for me..._

"Alright, this is gettin' weird, I'm out." Qrow suddenly commented, slowly lifting himself from his seat, grabbing the empty glass in front of him before heading back inside, likely to refill it.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna head in too, maybe get myself another cookie." Tai added. Then he turned to the woman next to him. "You want anything, Pyr?"

Remaining quiet for a moment, the redhead smiled. "I could go for another lemon square or two." She agreed, standing up with Tai so they could make their way inside. _Once again, real discrete, lovebirds._

And so, one by one, everyone else headed inside, abandoning the bonfire that they so desperately wanted to have. Okay, that might be a bit of an over exaggeration. But either way, Weiss left to use the washroom, Ilia to stretch her legs, Ruby to get another round of dessert, and of course, Blake to make sure her fiancé did not overload on sweets. Once they were all gone, the bonfire became... quiet, _peaceful_, with Kali cuddling back up to Yang, and Sienna sitting comfortably next to them, watching the couple with a warm smile on her face. Though after a few pleasantly silent minutes, it seemed she had a reason to leave as well.

Slowly getting up from the couch, Sienna offered a smile to the couple. "My apologies, it appears my drink has started to go places." She explained, bowing slightly before making her way around the couch toward the house's back door, but of course, not before gently trailing her fingers along the blonde's shoulders as she passed, causing the younger woman to actually shudder. _Damnit_! "Try not to miss me too much."

After the woman was gone, Yang let out a tired sigh. "Why does she have to tease me _every time_ we interact?"

Kali giggled at her girlfriend's reaction, cuddling closer as she did. "The teasing means she really likes you."

"How flattering..." Yang acknowledged, rolling her eyes. "So then, what do I do about it?"

"Tease her back, or flick her on the nose." Kali explained, before pausing. "Though she may come to enjoy that over time."

Yang just chuckled a bit. "Yeah, right. How am I supposed to tease _that_ woman?"

Mostly unseen by her partner, Kali grinned slightly. "I can give you a few... _pointers."_

Yang quirked a brow at the older woman's answer. "Oh yeah? Lemme hear 'em then. I would _love_ to be able to get her back."

"It's easier for me to _show you_, dear." Kali informed.

Furrowing her brow, Yang tilted her head to look at her girlfriend. "_Show me_? Just what kind of _pointers_ are they?"

Looking up to meet the blonde's lilac eyes, Kali smiled, quite innocently. "The kind I developed to tame myself a rather excitable Alpha."

Yang just blinked, rather curious of what the older woman meant. "Okay... Now I'm a little worried of what exactly you're gonna teach me to do to her."

"All in due time, my dear."

* * *

**Author's Note**:

Ho boy that was a big one! Easily the largest chapter (since part 3 and 4 were originally one big one) I've ever written! :O

But there it is! _Out of the Bag_ is finally finished! ... after 4 entire parts... when it was supposed to be 1. Man I am really bad at writing one-shots. I guess it turned out to just be a short fic. Fun fact: every scene in part 1 before the Solstice party (back when it _was_ in part 1) was supposed to be a "mini scene", as we called them back when we were planning this thing. Of course, as I usually do, I just kinda... kept making them bigger when writing each one. So then 15k words later, I go "Okay, maybe we should split this up into 2 parts." And then, as you could imagine, pretty much the same thing happened for part 2 and 3, and here we are. 4 gigantic parts, finally completed.

So I hope you enjoyed! It's been a crazy ride over these past few months. This thing took a lot of hard work, planning, and all that wonderful stuff, so leaving a review/comment would really be appreciated. Plus, I want to know what you think! Because as always, your feedback fuels me!

And from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading.

But before I go, here's one last little surprise.

* * *

_"May I... ask you something?"_

_"Of course, dear. Anything."_

_"If... If we ever decide to have children... Would you... ever consider helping us?"_

_"To be trusted with such a responsibility, would be an honor."_

_"Are... Are you sure?"_

_"Sure as the sunrise, I would do anything for you."_

_"Even... with such a large request? I don't want it to seem like you're required to do anything..."_

_"The gift of life is freely given, and Yang... Yang will make a fine mother someday, as you did."_

_"Just as you would bring a strong child into this world."_

_"All the stronger, for your presence in their life."_

_"And yours, of course."_

_"I... I would rejoice being a part of your lives, though I fear I am woefully out of practice."_

_"If anything ever becomes of this, and you do give Yang a child, I am not letting you not be part of our lives."_

_"Well, I guess I better get practicing."_

_"Thank you, Sienna."_

_"No, thank you, Kali, for letting me back into your life."_


End file.
